The eyes of the nation and millions across Asia will be on the picturesque Northern NSW city as the Socceroos and slayers of the Samurai Blue, UAE, meet for a place in the 2015 Asian Cup final.
All is set for another fabulous night with the Socceroos taking centre stage again.
Though Postecoglou and his coaching team won’t admit it, when UAE’s Ismail Ahmed blasted the winning shootout penalty against Japan in the quarter-final, there’d have been a few celebratory fist pumps.
The Socceroos will believe UAE are beatable on home soil.
Physically the Australian team is in a good space, having had an extra day to recover against an opponent that – unlike Australia – endured a roller coaster extra-time and penalties scenario for a spot in the last four.
Added to that, the imminent return of Matt Spiranovic will add another layer of security to the Socceroo back four (if indeed he does return given the sterling performance of Alex Wilkinson in the 2-0 quarter-final win over China).
However, Ivan Franjic and Mat Leckie had ice packs on their hamstrings at Sunday’s training session, though that may just be precautionary.
Encouragingly, with a solid 90 minutes under his belt, skipper Mile Jedinak should have shrugged off his early rustiness against China and be ready to police the centre of midfield.
And he’ll need to be at his sharpest with the fabulous Omar Abdulrahman lurking just behind the UAE frontline - though the Emirati with the fantastic 'fro may drift wide or deeper at times and try pull Jedinak out of the central channel.
How Jedinak marshals this rising star of Asian football will be a key factor in deciding the contest.
Who’ll play for the Socceroos? Well, not even Ange Postecoglou will know that. He’s proven a master of shuffling his pack, keeping his players on their toes to ensure the maximum output across the squad.
James Troisi would have to be a chance to come back into the starting XI as one of the two playmakers in place of veteran Mark Bresciano.
Jason Davidson has probably done enough to retain his left back spot – but again, it’s likely to be a close call with Aziz Behich.
The most likely starting XI at this stage would be Ryan, Franjic, Spiranovic, Sainsbury, Davidson, Jedinak, Troisi, Luongo, Kruse, Leckie, Cahill in a 4-1-2-3.
Belief is one thing but the right attitude is another if the Socceroos are to avoid being a second giant-killing victim of the eye-catching Emiratis. Postecoglou and his team will be emphasising the importance of sticking to the game plan and the desire to out-run and out-chase.
Tuesday night will be the biggest football match in Newcastle’s history with a rocking Hunter Stadium. The home support will be key – especially if the Socceroos are chasing the game. After all, virtually the entire stadium will be behind the Green and Gold.
But the Socceroos shouldn’t under-estimate Mahdi Ali’s men – unlike Japan who, deep down, you sense felt they’d win their quarter-final against UAE with ease.
Make no mistake; this is an excellent UAE side. They deserve their spot in the last four. And like the Socceroos, they are a youngish, up-and-coming outfit whose best years are ahead of them. They are a tight-knit group, too.
UAE have injury concerns however. Omar Abdulrahman limped into training on Saturday in Newcastle.
Added to that, the effect of 120 minutes and extra time against Japan will no doubt be raised in the pre-match analysis, but the Emiratis are well resourced. They will have all recovery techniques and medical science employed to ensure their players are ready for the physical test the Socceroos will pose.
That test will be immense - moving the Emiratis from side to side asking questions of their fitness as they are asked to run without the ball. The Socceroos know teams wilt in the final third of games when they put the physical blowtorch onto their opponents.
If the UAE sit back and allow wave after wave of attack – in a similar manner to their quarter-final - there are enough in-form Australian attacking options to hurt them.
In transition, though, Gulf Cup Golden Boot Ali Mabkhout, Ismael Al Hammadi and Ahmed Khalil can and will hurt the Socceroos when given a chance with a ball over the top in wide positions.
No doubt Ali will be pondering the attacking nature of the Aussie full-backs and how his attacking trio can exploit situations when attacks break down.
If Omar Abdulrahman can keep Jedinak occupied centrally, there could be some nice opportunities on the counter for the Whites to break in behind.
But sometimes it’s not the physical but the mental challenge to back up and pull out another big performance that is the hardest thing to do.
Have the UAE already played their “Cup Final” after beating tournament favourites Japan on Friday night? That’s one thing the respected Mahdi Ali will underline.
His message will be: “You’ve got this far, now don’t waste the chance of making history.”
That said, Australia will never have a better chance of winning an Asian Cup than right now. A home final is a massive advantage at the 82,000 Stadium Australia. And we may never see another home Asian Cup for another 20 years.
You sense the UAE – who are likely to host the next edition of the Asian Cup – will feel they can win it in 2019 if it's on home soil. Their squad will be at its peak by then should Mahdi Ali remain at the helm.
The Postecoglou project is taking shape, too. Fourteen months in, the Socceroos are learning fast and riding the emotion of public support at this fabulous tournament.
A dream home Asian Cup final in Sydney is now, tantalisingly, close. Destiny is with the Socceroos, fully aware that a golden chance to become national heroes is now within their grasp.
History beckons.
All is set for another fabulous night with the Socceroos taking centre stage again.
Though Postecoglou and his coaching team won’t admit it, when UAE’s Ismail Ahmed blasted the winning shootout penalty against Japan in the quarter-final, there’d have been a few celebratory fist pumps.
The Socceroos will believe UAE are beatable on home soil.
Physically the Australian team is in a good space, having had an extra day to recover against an opponent that – unlike Australia – endured a roller coaster extra-time and penalties scenario for a spot in the last four.
Added to that, the imminent return of Matt Spiranovic will add another layer of security to the Socceroo back four (if indeed he does return given the sterling performance of Alex Wilkinson in the 2-0 quarter-final win over China).
However, Ivan Franjic and Mat Leckie had ice packs on their hamstrings at Sunday’s training session, though that may just be precautionary.
Encouragingly, with a solid 90 minutes under his belt, skipper Mile Jedinak should have shrugged off his early rustiness against China and be ready to police the centre of midfield.
And he’ll need to be at his sharpest with the fabulous Omar Abdulrahman lurking just behind the UAE frontline - though the Emirati with the fantastic 'fro may drift wide or deeper at times and try pull Jedinak out of the central channel.
How Jedinak marshals this rising star of Asian football will be a key factor in deciding the contest.
Who’ll play for the Socceroos? Well, not even Ange Postecoglou will know that. He’s proven a master of shuffling his pack, keeping his players on their toes to ensure the maximum output across the squad.
James Troisi would have to be a chance to come back into the starting XI as one of the two playmakers in place of veteran Mark Bresciano.
Jason Davidson has probably done enough to retain his left back spot – but again, it’s likely to be a close call with Aziz Behich.
The most likely starting XI at this stage would be Ryan, Franjic, Spiranovic, Sainsbury, Davidson, Jedinak, Troisi, Luongo, Kruse, Leckie, Cahill in a 4-1-2-3.
Belief is one thing but the right attitude is another if the Socceroos are to avoid being a second giant-killing victim of the eye-catching Emiratis. Postecoglou and his team will be emphasising the importance of sticking to the game plan and the desire to out-run and out-chase.
Tuesday night will be the biggest football match in Newcastle’s history with a rocking Hunter Stadium. The home support will be key – especially if the Socceroos are chasing the game. After all, virtually the entire stadium will be behind the Green and Gold.
But the Socceroos shouldn’t under-estimate Mahdi Ali’s men – unlike Japan who, deep down, you sense felt they’d win their quarter-final against UAE with ease.
Make no mistake; this is an excellent UAE side. They deserve their spot in the last four. And like the Socceroos, they are a youngish, up-and-coming outfit whose best years are ahead of them. They are a tight-knit group, too.
UAE have injury concerns however. Omar Abdulrahman limped into training on Saturday in Newcastle.
Added to that, the effect of 120 minutes and extra time against Japan will no doubt be raised in the pre-match analysis, but the Emiratis are well resourced. They will have all recovery techniques and medical science employed to ensure their players are ready for the physical test the Socceroos will pose.
That test will be immense - moving the Emiratis from side to side asking questions of their fitness as they are asked to run without the ball. The Socceroos know teams wilt in the final third of games when they put the physical blowtorch onto their opponents.
If the UAE sit back and allow wave after wave of attack – in a similar manner to their quarter-final - there are enough in-form Australian attacking options to hurt them.
In transition, though, Gulf Cup Golden Boot Ali Mabkhout, Ismael Al Hammadi and Ahmed Khalil can and will hurt the Socceroos when given a chance with a ball over the top in wide positions.
No doubt Ali will be pondering the attacking nature of the Aussie full-backs and how his attacking trio can exploit situations when attacks break down.
If Omar Abdulrahman can keep Jedinak occupied centrally, there could be some nice opportunities on the counter for the Whites to break in behind.
But sometimes it’s not the physical but the mental challenge to back up and pull out another big performance that is the hardest thing to do.
Have the UAE already played their “Cup Final” after beating tournament favourites Japan on Friday night? That’s one thing the respected Mahdi Ali will underline.
His message will be: “You’ve got this far, now don’t waste the chance of making history.”
That said, Australia will never have a better chance of winning an Asian Cup than right now. A home final is a massive advantage at the 82,000 Stadium Australia. And we may never see another home Asian Cup for another 20 years.
You sense the UAE – who are likely to host the next edition of the Asian Cup – will feel they can win it in 2019 if it's on home soil. Their squad will be at its peak by then should Mahdi Ali remain at the helm.
The Postecoglou project is taking shape, too. Fourteen months in, the Socceroos are learning fast and riding the emotion of public support at this fabulous tournament.
A dream home Asian Cup final in Sydney is now, tantalisingly, close. Destiny is with the Socceroos, fully aware that a golden chance to become national heroes is now within their grasp.
History beckons.