As discussed on on Sunday night, home support is immensely important. Some have compared Australia's prospects to that of Brazil playing at home last year, erroneously in my view - there is no comparison.
Brazil has five world titles, and the sort of pressure from 200 million coaches we can only dream about. Oh, to be good enough to face massive expectation to win the FIFA World Cup.
It will aid the Socceroos that the Asian Cup is as yet unconquered , as they have no shadow in which to walk, only great things to achieve.
Our home support, like the tournament level, is also completely different.
Recent poor results have arguably helped the situation, serving to significantly downplay expectations with many commentators believing a semi-final berth would constitute success.
I disagree, but this will aid the team to approach the Cup free of any anxiety and once the first match is out of the way, I believe it'll grow in confidence and strength.
and the Socceroos as yet are not former world champions like the Wallabies, which brought its own level of pressure in 2003.
Given events of the past 12 months the public is behind the team and hoping, not demanding, great performances.
This is a fundamental difference.
Additionally, Asian teams as a rule do not travel to Australia well. True, our World Cup qualification matches occur in short duration stays where travel is a major issue, nevertheless few and given that our best is almost always reserved for home crowds, this remains a major advantage.
Both and Japan are in a transitional phase, without the settled teams that we saw in recent campaigns and World Cups.
Under Uli Stielike, Korea conceded three to Costa Rica, lost to Iran and beat Jordan by a solitary goal.
Japan struggled slightly against Jamaica, was absolutely smashed by Brazil - ala Australia 13 months ago - and took until the second 45 minutes at home against the Socceroos in November to show its quality.
This match will have given Australia immense confidence, knowing it could approach the contest aggressively and impose itself, something it will find easier to do at home.
The Japan match was important not only because it was a dress rehearsal for a possible Cup final, allowing Australia to confront and understand the challenge it will likely face, but because Ange Postecoglou and his staff were able to spend a week in camp working on a more cohesive team system.
The first half showed the effect of this work, a far more fluent display with the ball, albeit against a surprisingly defensive Japanese team under Javier Aguirre.
Significantly, Australia has taken the opportunity to rather than play lead-up games over the past week like other teams, something I fully agree with and see as a good decision by Postecoglou.
The lesson from the Japan game, and to a lesser extent the World Cup, is that the team needs time to work together, not necessarily in matches, but working on each aspect of its play.
Only in this way can it become closer to a club team than a national team, a critical change needing to be made.
As the tournament progresses the team will improve greatly. Each game brings challenges, mistakes, disharmony on the field that can be analysed, broken down and fixed.
We should see the team get stronger with every game, building all the way to the final.
The approach will be fascinating.
, which is expected to take a counter-attacking stance, to break down a stout defence aerially or quick players like Nathan Burns, Matthew Leckie and Robbie Kruse to combine their way through?
This depends entirely on the analysis done on each opponent from the Gulf Cup, another reason Australia is in a strong position with full knowledge of each group topponent and the opportunity to analyse the other groups throughout.
It's going to be a festival and it is wonderful to see how Australia has embraced the tournament already.
I believe the Socceroos will win and wish them, along every competing team welcomed to our country, the very best.
