RILEY McGREE is happy to admit he is out for revenge when Australia line up against Argentina on Thursday.
The Socceroos take on the reigning World champions in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in a rematch of the round of 16 match from last autumn’s World Cup in Qatar.
Back then, McGree was part of the Australia side that battled gamely before slipping to a 2-1 defeat that formed part of Argentina’s World Cup success.
The stakes will be somewhat lower on Thursday, with the sides meeting again in a friendly, but the Middlesbrough midfielder is targeting an upset that would still go down in Socceroos folklore if they were able to pull it off.
“We were pushing (in the World Cup game),” said McGree. “If it wasn’t for big moments, maybe the game would have swayed a different way and the outcome would have been different.
“As a team and individuals, it gives you the belief you can do it against the best in the world. No matter who you come up against, you have a chance (to win) and if you play together and believe in yourselves and each other, then bring it on.”
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Australia exceeded expectations in Qatar as they made it out of the World Cup group stage, and McGree sees similarities between the sense of togetherness within the Socceroos squad and the bond that has developed at Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick.
“I had a kind of a free role in what I did at Middlesbrough,” he added, in an interview with The West Australian. “There was a bit of free-flowing enjoyment, I always went out and played and enjoyed football.
“There’s a lot of similarities here in the national team – they back us through anything and we have to go out there with that confidence in ourselves as well.”
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