Playing Germany first in the group (in Durban on June 14 Australian time), could be construed as an advantage for the Socceroos.

They may just catch the favourites off guard. Aloisi senses this could be the case with a German side particularly  wary of losing to a lesser ranked opponent in the vital opener.

Asensio's Screamer Vs FC Barcelona
Asensio's Screamer Vs FC Barcelona
In one of Real Madrid's most outstanding performances at the Camp Nou, Los Blancos beat FC Barcelona 3-1 in the Spanish Supercup. Real were leading 2-1 after Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th minute goal, but just before the final whistle, we sealed the win with this beautiful Marco Asensio strike.
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As such, the expectation will be on Joachim Low's men leaving Pim Verbeek's green and gold free of such burdens, said the 2006 Socceroo World Cup hero.

"Germany are a powerhouse and always do well at World Cups. And so the pressure is on them and they could get off to a slow start so it's not a bad time to catch them," Aloisi told au.fourfourtwo.com at Sunday's launch of the Hyundai Goodwill Ball in Sydney.

"When Brazil played Croatia [in the opening game of Australia's group at World Cup 2006] they struggled a bit. And they were lucky to get a win, so hopefully we catch them out and Australia gets a good result."

As for Aloisi and the Socceroos at World Cup 2010, the Sydney FC's striker's form recently has been eye-catching with goals at the right time of the season for the sky blues.

But missing out on selection for the Indonesia game appears to have put the issue to rest. However, if Josh Kennedy was to pick up an injury, Aloisi would appear to be a ready-made solution.

His experience at World Cup level is unmatched in the squad and his current form is also impressive. He'd need a loan deal to see him through the bridge between the end of the A-League season and the final World Cup selection in May.  

Not that it - or the Socceroos - is on his radar. The 34-year-old all but wrote off his chances of a return.

"I've just been thinking about Sydney FC and making sure I do well for them," he said.

Aloisi was on hand to help launch the Goodwill Ball on Sunday. It was flown across Sydney Harbour from the city to Bondi.

It will eventually find its way to the Socceroo camp in South Africa.

 "Hyundai did it at the last World Cup and it's a good idea because it gets the supporters to write a message on the ball for the Socceroos," said Aloisi, a Hyundai ambassador.

At World Cup 2006, Aloisi remembers well the boost it gave the Socceroos reading the messages of support scrawled on the ball. Over 10,000 messages were written on it.

"It shows we have support back here in Australia and it's a good idea. Hyundai do a lot of great things for our game in Australia and they also sponsor the World Cup - I think it's a great thing and the supporters are happy about it too," he said.

The ball will make its way to Brisbane's Suncorp stadium on Wednesday night when the Socceroos take on Indonesia. Fans will be able to get up close to the ball.

The four-metre high Goodwill ball will end up at the Hyundai A-League grand final where it's tipped the Prime Minister will lead a group of dignitaries and celebrities scrawling their message of support to our Socceroos.