In the early hours of Tuesday morning (AEST), Ange Postecoglou’s Socceroos face the toughest test of their FIFA Confederations Cup campaign: world champions Germany.
Fellow Group B opponents Chile may have a more talented squad at the tournament, but it will be Australia’s encounter with Germany that sets the tone for their Russian campaign.
With unpredictable Cameroon and the red-hot South Americans to come, a thrashing at the hands of Joachim Löw would all-but end the Socceroos’ hopes of progressing to the semi-finals.
PIC SPECIAL: Socceroos train in Sochi
Embattled coach Ange Postecoglou has pulled a few rabbits out of the hat during his long and varied managerial career.
But a win on the shores of the Black Sea against the world champions would surely be his greatest.
History
Whatever the result in Sochi, the echoes of history will ring loudly.
Australia has played Germany three times in FIFA competitions, managing a respectable 4-3 defeat at the 2005 Confederations Cup but losing by considerable margins at the 1974 and 2010 World Cup.
Indeed, many Australian fans still harbour collective trauma at the inept performance of Pim Verbeek’s charges in Durban seven years ago, when the Socceroos were comprehensively outplayed.
More recent memory offers some hope. Australia beat Germany in a friendly in 2011, and then held Die Mannschaft to a draw four years later in another non-competitive fixture.
Vital to repeating such efforts will be defensive solidity in the opening stanza, unlike the Socceroos’ recent showing against Brazil.
At the 2010 World Cup, Lukas Podolski scored in the eighth minute and Germany’s victory never looked in doubt.
If Löw’s side again score early, it may feel like déjà vu.
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