Australia Praises The Strength Of The U-23 Indonesian National Team

Australia U-23 will face Indonesia U-23 in the second match of Group A of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup (Instagram/@footballaus).

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team will meet Australia U-23 in the second match of Group A of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup at the Abdullah bin Khalifah Stadium, Thursday, April 18, 2024.

Australian U-23 coach Tony Vidmar said that meeting with Garuda Muda was an important party. They have ambitions to earn three points for the hope of qualifying for the knockout phase.

You see, in the group's first match against Jordan, Australia only won one point from the 0-0 draw.

However, Vidmar admits that the U-23 Indonesian national team cannot be underestimated. He even praised Shin Tae-yong's foster children, who were almost half of the squad as regular players in the senior national team.

This situation made Vidmar have concerns. He emphasized that the U-23 Indonesian national team would be a tough test for its troops.

"We are happy to start with one point in this tournament. We look forward to playing against Indonesia, which will be a very good match."

"Their ten players appeared in the senior Asian Cup (2023). So, it will be a real test. They impressed in the senior Asian Cup in January 2024. That's our goal here, to be tested against a good opponent, a different type of football."

"It will only make our players better in terms of experience," Vidmar said on the AFC website.

In addition to the composition of the squad that has been tested at the senior level, Vidmar's concerns arise after seeing Garuda Muda's motivation.

The U-23 Indonesian national team is on a revival mission after a controversial defeat against Qatar U-23 with a score of 0-2.

Shin Tae-yong's team looked at the match against Australia with a target of three points dead to keep their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.