Kluivert promises surprises from Indonesia in first game as coach

SYDNEY - Patrick Kluivert has promised some surprises from his Indonesia team when they take on Australia in Thursdays World Cup qualifier, despite only having had a couple of training sessions with his squad since taking over as coach in January.

The former Netherlands and Barcelona striker has been handed the mission of taking Indonesia to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1938 and Thursdays clash in Sydney could be crucial to those hopes.

With many of his players flying in from their clubs in Europe, Kluivert admitted that there had not been enough time to really impose his ideas on the squad but said he was confident they were ready to challenge for a first win over Australia since 1981.

Changing is impossible at the moment, he told reporters at Sydney Football Stadium on Wednesday.

But of course, theres things I dont just explain here, but there will be some, some things change, but thats between us.

I think the team is ready. They know what we expect tomorrow, so we look forward to playing the match.

Kluivert took over a squad studded with players from the Indonesian diaspora, many of them Dutch-born and playing at a high level in Europe.

They impressed with a 0-0 draw against Australia as well as a 2-0 home win over Saudi Arabia last year and stand just a point behind the second-placed Socceroos in Group C. The top two teams will progress directly to the 2026 finals.

I think we showed already the last year, maybe a little bit more, that Indonesia is a country that has to be dealt with, said Dutch-born captain Jay Idzes.

Hopefully, and I truly believe it, in the next years we can really put Indonesia on the map.

Kluivert said he and his