"We know that we are playing against one of the best countries of the world... against the opponent who has a chance to win the World Cup. But not always the best players win prizes, and a lot of times the best teams, and we'd like to be the best team," van Marwijk said.

Australia will face 1998 champions France in their first 2018 World Cup match in Kazan on Saturday.

Van Marwijk also said that his team "must have the guts to believe in something very important tomorrow that we are ourselves."

The head coach added that he was satisfied with the squad's preparation for the tournament.

"I think there's a lot of progress in comparison with the first few days. I'm satisfied about the preparation till now," he said.

Peru and Denmark, the other two teams drawn in Group C, will play in Saransk, also on Saturday.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will last till July 15, with the games set to be played at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities.