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Jordan coach backs 'sons' against Aust

3 minute read

Jordan manager Vital Borkelmans insists his "sons" will attack Australia rather than sit back and try to grind out a result in their World Cup qualifier.

Manager Vital Borkelmans has brushed off Australian comments about Jordan's defensive playing style and backed his "sons" to surprise the Socceroos in their World Cup qualifier.

Australia coach Graham Arnold and various players are preparing for Jordan to surrender possession and sit deep in their match in Amman on Thursday night (3am AEDT on Friday).

Jordan have scored five goals and shipped just one in their two wins and draw to sit second in Group B, which also includes Kuwait, Nepal and Taiwan.

But Borkelmans, a former Belgium defender, says he's a "positive guy" and the results show his team don't play negatively.

"He can say what he wants," he told a pre-match press conference.

"I know what we will play, I know how we will play. And also, he knows the weakness of us and we know the weakness of those (Socceroos) players."

The manager also pointed out that Jordan created plenty of chances in 1-0 group match win over Australia in the 2019 Asian Cup in January.

Borkelmans says conclusions about his playing style can only be drawn after Thursday night's qualifier, but he's optimistic his side will not sit back in a bid to grind out a result.

"I cannot say I like to play with five strikers, I am going full attack, no," he said.

"I will not be defensive (either) but sometimes they put us to defend, then we must be clever."

Borkelmans is hopeful that despite the massive gap with his side 54 places below 44th-ranked Australia it might be a special day for his "sons".

"I have good guys, very good guys, I can see them as like my sons, my sons," the Belgian said.

"They are my sons, every morning and the afternoon I run with these guys, with pleasure.

"I live here, I have my family four to five thousand kilometres away, I don't see my family, this is my family at the moment and be sure tomorrow they will be ready."

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