Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced that Graham Arnold’s first game in charge of the Caltex Socceroos will be played next month against Kuwait in Kuwait City.
Arnold’s men will meet Romeo Jozak’s side in an international friendly match on Monday, 15 October 2018 (local time) after completing a short training camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The match venue and kick-off time are still to be finalised.
Caltex Socceroos Head Coach, Graham Arnold, said that he’s looking forward to the chance of building upon Australia’s new style of play against a challenging West Asian opponent.
“During our recent training camp in Turkey we worked hard to add attacking layers to the strong defensive base the Socceroos had at this year’s (FIFA) World Cup,” Arnold said.
“The fresh faces in camp did exceptionally well, they added a lot of energy to the training sessions and plenty of enthusiasm.
“Next month’s camp in the UAE, which will conclude with our friendly against Kuwait, will provide us with the chance to develop our play further and put our new style into a game situation.
“The players understand what we need to achieve and it was valuable to have the time with them in Turkey, without the pressure of a game, so I am confident that we will take further strides forward during the October window,” he said.
Australia and Kuwait have played 11 matches at senior men’s international level in the past, with the first meeting between the two nations coming in Sydney in 1977, and the most recent being played in Melbourne during the opening match of the AFC Asian Cup in 2015, where Australia won 4-1.
Following the October FIFA window, the Caltex Socceroos will return to Australia in November. On Saturday, 17 November 2018 the Socceroos will play Korea Republic at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, before meeting Lebanon on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 at ANZ Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park.
All three of the Caltex Socceroos’ upcoming international friendlies will be broadcast LIVE in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network TEN.
Upcoming Caltex Socceroos Matches:
Kuwait v Caltex Socceroos (International Friendly)
Date: Monday, 15 October 2018 (local time)
Venue: To be confirmed (Kuwait City, Kuwait)
Kick-off: To be confirmed
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network TEN
Caltex Socceroos v Korea Republic (International Friendly)
Date: Saturday, 17 November 2018
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
Kick-off: 6.50pm (local); 7.50pm (AEDT)
Tickets: www.socceroos.com.au/tickets
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network TEN
Caltex Socceroos v Lebanon (International Friendly)
Date: Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales
Kick-off: 7.30pm (AEDT)
Tickets: www.socceroos.com.au/tickets
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network TEN
