Former Australia captain and leading goal scorer, Tim Cahill has come out to state that Australia’s qualification to the World Cup in Qatar will come down to mental strength and preparedness. He believes that the playoff fixture involving his nation and Peru is difficult but it comes down to who wants it most.
The Socceroos finished third in the Asian qualifying group behind Japan and Saudi Arabia and now will have to go through the intercontinental playoffs to get to the world cup in Qatar.
The former Everton attacker won 108 caps and is his country’s leading goal scorer with 50 goals. He even holds the honour of being the first man to score a World Cup goal for his country doing so in the 2006 world cup in Germany.
“I know how important the World Cup is for our country,” said former captain Cahill, who played at four tournaments. “I think it’s going to be difficult for Australia,” said the former Everton midfielder.
“It’s never easy, but in the end, it comes down to preparation, and whether you’ve done everything in your power to prepare and be mentally and physically fit for the World Cup.
“Qualifying will mean everything, particularly after the pandemic, but qualification is not a given. Being at the World Cup is ultimately what you play for.”
The Antarctica country or South America’s Peru will join countries like Tunisia, France or Denmark in a dicey group D while Costa Rica or New Zealand will join the likes of Spain, Germany and Japan in Group E in what is tagged one of the most difficult groups at the World cup.
The Australians defeated the UAE 2-1 in a very nervy victory at the Arabs’ home ground in what was a grinding victory for the Socceroos. They will have to improve in order to stand any chance of getting past the tricky South Americans.
The tournament in Qatar begins on the 21st of November in Doha, with the finale taking place on the 18th of December in the same venue.