Burns: Ange circus won't wreck Roos

Australia and Los Catrachos meet in the first leg on Saturday morning (AEDT) in San Pedro Sula, with a spot in Russia 2018 up for grabs.

Ever since the Socceroos edged past Syria the talking point in Australian football has been on whether Postecoglou will stay or go after the two-legged playoff.

But Burns, who played 11 times for Australia between 2000 and 2010, told FourFourTwo the squad and the coaching staff will only be focused on the job at hand - not on what Postecoglou might do.

“We’ve moved away from the actual questions of how you’re going to break down, how you're going to beat Honduras, which is the most important thing,” he said.

“What a manager does, where it’s international level or club level, they’re here one minute and they’re gone the next. I’m sure that the focus through the playing group and the coaching group is purely on getting that result, not about any heresay on where the manager is going beyond or if he’s going before.

“Their focus can only purely be on the game at hand. Getting something out of the first leg and coming back and smashing them in front of our home crowd.”

Burns believes the players will only be thinking about beating Honduras.

“As a player you don’t use any excuse out there, any of the hype through of it what’s been said,” he said.

“The focus is purely on are we going to get the World Cup, am I going to be on that plane? This is an opportunity that may not come around again for a lot of them players. It might be over for them.

“I think they’ll do the shirt proud and give it everything.”

Honduras are ranked 69th in the world by FIFA, compared to Australia’s 43rd placing, and have only qualified for three World Cups, in 1982, 2010 and 2014, in their history.

However, Burns believes the Central American nation will be tough opponents.

“I think they’re going to be really difficult, particularly at their place,” the 39-year old said.

“They’ll have a pretty big crowd and all to play for. They’ve got a number of talented players.

"But I’m confident our boys can do the job, get something out of it and set it up for us to qualify for our fourth consecutive World Cup, which is what we really need as a football nation.”