The Socceroos midfielder is braced for the daunting assignment.
Mile Jedinak believes Sunday’s friendly against Brazil is the ideal platform for the Socceroos to launch their preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
Head coach Holger Osieck and his squad are South America to warm up for the meeting with The Selecao – the host nation of next year’s tournament – with Jedinak a strong contender for a starting berth after his impressive start to the season at Crystal Palace.
The 29-year-old has starred in Palace’s opening three fixtures following their promotion to the Premier League but says his priorities have shifted to attaining a positive result against the five-time world champions on their national independence day.
“It’s the biggest name in world football with probably the richest history,” Jedinak told Fox Sports from the team’s hotel in Brasilia.
“Playing them in their own backyard is going to be a massive challenge but one in which I think we can give a good account of ourselves and hopefully that will give us confidence going forward.”
Jedinak faces an exciting, if not daunting, visit to Old Trafford following the conclusion of his national duty when Palace travel to play Manchester United, but the former Sydney United and Central Coast Mariners player insists he is relishes the challenges that lie ahead in England.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it [playing in the Premier League],” he added. “I would have liked a few more points but that’s football. We’ve been in all three games which is really encouraging from a personal and club point of view.
“We know we’ve got a lot to work on but the signs are positive and we can take a lot from all three games going into the rest of the season.”
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