The Subway Socceroos will make their highly anticipated return to Melbourne on Tuesday night when they host Ecuador at Marvel Stadium.
Victorian football fans will have the chance to see their national heroes up close as a part of the 'Welcome Home' tour following an incredible Round of 16 FIFA World Cup run.
The tour kicked off in Sydney on Friday, with the Socceroos claiming a sensational 3-1 victory over the South Americans. Victorians Jackson Irvine and Garang Kuol were among the goals, with Awer Mabil also etching his name onto the scoresheet.
Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold said he looked forward to returning to Melbourne, which was a source of inspiration for the players during the World Cup.
"When I first got sent the video of it” (Federation Square) I thought someone was taking the mickey out of me because I hadn’t seen those type of scenes since probably the America Cup all of those years ago,“ He explained at today's press conference at Federation Square.
"It inspired the players enormously. The players you could see had tears in their eyes, they would have done anything to win that game against Denmark”.
Arnold revealed star defender Harry Souttar would miss the clash, however, the omission provides an opportunity for Victorian Bailey Wright to come into the starting 11.
“You will see Bailey Wright come in tomorrow, I look forward to seeing him and others perform, “he said.
Bailey (Wright) is obviously doing great at his club but he has also done great for us every time he has played and started.”
Wright told reporters he was “buzzing” at the chance to play in front of his home crowd.
You always want to be on that pitch and representing your country. To get that opportunity to play, particularly here in Melbourne is always close to my heart," Wright said.
“I will be able to share that with friends and family which you don’t get to do too often when you're living on the other side of the world.
Being the second oldest player in the squad, Wright said he was embracing the added responsibility.
"I know what it’s like to represent the country and I am fully aware of what is expected of me. I think Arnie (Graham Arnold) just wants me to play my game and go out there and make sure we do the job".
I love seeing the next generation come through, I remember being in their shoes and having the senior boys helping me”
It’s an honor to be one of the older boys, I want to be a part of this as long as I can.”
Aziz Behich, who grew up in Meadow Park progressed through Victoria's football ranks before establishing himself as a star of the national team. Behich said he was thrilled to be back in Melbourne and play in front of a passionate home crowd.
"I went through all of the ranks here from the state levels to playing at both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart, I also spent time with Hume City and Green Gully which were really special times in my career and times I always look back on," Behich said.
"Melbourne has a great football culture it's been a long road to get back here. Seeing the scenes in Fed Square made everyone want to come back and play in Melbourne - it gave us all goosebumps and we're really excited for Tuesday night."
When asked about the match against Ecuador Behich claimed the game was anything but a friendly, reiterating the importance of winning and establishing momentum.
"We call these friendlies but they're really not, we have to keep the winning mentality going. We analysed Friday's match and what we can improve on, we need to keep winning because it becomes a habit and leading into the Asian Cup we will need that positive momentum," Behich said.
TICKETS
Limited tickets are still available. Refer to the link below to book your seat.