AUSTRALIA URGED TO BE BRAVE CREATIVE

Circati wants teammates to go on front foot against Indonesia, after shock Bahrain loss

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Australia defender Alessandro Circati has called for the Socceroos to be brave in attack in their World Cup qualifier against Indonesia on Sept 10 to get their campaign back on track after a shocking defeat by Bahrain.

The 1-0 loss to the 80th-ranked Gulf nation on the Gold Coast on Sept 5 triggered familiar complaints in Australian media about the Socceroos' inability to break down stubborn defences from lower-ranked teams.

Australia, ranked 24th in the world, can ill afford another slipup in Jakarta if they hope to qualify directly for the 2026 Finals cohosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Socceroos have made it to the last five World Cups since 2006 in Germany.

Circati, who plays for Italian Serie A club Parma, said there was no point dwelling on the Bahrain setback but hoped his teammates would go on the front foot against world No. 133 Indonesia.

"I'd like to think in this game we can be a bit more creative, a bit more brave offensively," he said.

"We do have creative players, so we're able to do that.