Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong will lean on his short stint playing and coaching in Australia when he attempts to mastermind an Asian Cup round-of-16 upset of the Socceroos.
The former South Korea international player and coach finished his playing career at the Queensland Roar (now Brisbane Roar) in 2008 and had a stint as assistant coach to Miron Bleiberg.
"I lived in Brisbane for five years so I know the colour of the Australian football and the playing style," Shin said through a translator ahead of Sunday's match at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
"However it depends on all the head coaches, the philosophy and what he wants, how he builds his team, his cohesion etc.
"If I compare the time I stayed in Australia and now, I think the Australian football also has been developing so far. So I just want to praise it, the Australian football compared to before.
"It's very offensive football. But the Australian team may have weaknesses. I still will need to find a way to deal with this Australian team."
The Socceroos have struggled to break down defences in Qatar but Shin wouldn't say whether he planned for his players to sit deep and play on the counter.
Instead, he pondered how to crack an Australian defence that has conceded just one goal in three games.
"The Australian team is physically very strong and also organised so I don't think I can find any deficiency in the Australian defensive line," he said.
"For us, it's never gonna be easy. Especially the Australian team is one of the most strongest teams in this Asian Cup and also they've got like a great strength and power.
"However, we still have a good preparation and we're going to show great energy from young players, so hopefully we can have a good match tomorrow."
Indonesia reached the round of 16 for the first time, qualifying as one of the four best third-placed teams after Kyrgyzstan's late equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Oman sent them through.
Shin wouldn't be drawn on whether his milestone with Indonesia bettered another great achievement: when he famously led South Korea to victory over defending champions Germany at the 2018 World Cup.
If Indonesia deliver one of the great upsets, either Saudi Arabia or South Korea await in the next round.
"I don't think we have much possibility to beat Australia to be honest," Shin admitted.
"Still I do hope I can play against Korea in the quarter-final."
