Grella's focus on Oman

Qantas Socceroos midfielder Vince Grella said he is looking forward to Saturday night's friendly against the Netherlands, but said that the Asian Cup showdown with Oman four days later is of greater importance.

Qantas Socceroos midfielder Vince Grella said he is looking forward to Saturday night's friendly against the Netherlands, but said that the Asian Cup showdown with Oman four days later is of greater importance.

The Australian squad is assembling in Sydney ahead of a vital two-match program that sees it take on the Dutch, rated No.3 in the world, at the SFS before travelling to Melbourne to meet Oman on October 14.

Pim Verbeek's men badly need maximum points against the Omanis to kick start the Asian Cup qualifying campaign, which has yielded just one point from two games.

"I wouldn't be getting too carried away with the result, whether it was to be positive or negative," Grella said of the encounter with the Dutch, who boast Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel and Wesley Sneijder among their galaxy of stars.

"Friendly games are important, but they can be used as tests."

"The main game for us is Wednesday (week) against Oman. We want to qualify for the Asian Cup and be a force in Asia so for us that becomes an important game."

"They put us under a lot of pressure (the last time the teams played in 2007). It wasn't an easy game and Wednesday won't be an easy game either."

"We're going to have to prepare well."

"The Dutch game will give us a great warm-up to what we can expect against Oman."

While the Asian Cup is the immediate focus, next year's World Cup also looms large.

Verbeek has indicated the time for experimentation is over and he will now concentrate on forming his strongest line-up heading towards South Africa.

Grella was reluctant to compare where the current Australian side sits - nine months out from the World Cup - in relation to the all-conquering 2006 squad.

"Comparing teams is not really fair," he said.

"The previous team had the older, experienced players that had been in the national team for a long time. Now we have a lot of good, young players coming through so they're two different teams."

"I'm not really one for comparing teams but they are two strong teams and we'll see what results we get at the World Cup to see who's better."

A fit and motivated Grella says his move from Italy to the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers has re-invigorated his career.