Australia manager Pim Verbeek said on Saturday his team would not be seeking revenge when they face Iraq in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday for the first time since a humiliating defeat by the same opponents last year. "We know what we have to do and it's not revenge," Verbeek told reporters, recalling the 3-1 beating Iraq gave Australia on their way to winning last year's Asian Cup.
Verbeek, who was in charge of South Korea at the Asian Cup, will probably have nine players from that losing Australian side in his starting line-up on Sunday. "I think it's good, maybe, that they lost, so they know they can never under-estimate the Iraqis - they were the Asia Cup winners and they deserved to win that game (against Australia)."
Australia are top of Group 1 after beating Qatar at home and drawing away to China. Iraq, who have not won since their Asian Cup success, are bottom of the group with one point. The match was in doubt after FIFA suspended Iraq from international football in response to a government decision to dissolve its National Olympic Committee.
FIFA lifted the ban on Thursday after Iraq gave written assurances that it had not dissolved the national soccer federation. Verbeek said he expected Iraq to stack their defence and play for a draw on Sunday, fielding a lone striker and hoping to hit back with quick counter-attacks.
"They'll wait and wait and wait for one or two chances and then if they can score one goal it will be good for them," the Dutchman said. "That's what we expect - they will defend and we will attack and it's our job to be alert, to concentrate so that we don't give counter-possibilities away. The chances we create, we have to finish them, because we will not get many chances.
Verbeek has named Harry Kewell as captain in place of the absent Lucas Neill and said he had not seen the former Liverpool player so motivated. "At the moment he's fit, he's ready, he's trained every training session and I think wants to show it," he said.