Holman relishing Champions League clash
Australia's sole Champions League participant Brett Holman is preparing for one of the biggest games of his career.
AZ Alkmaar take on Premiership giants Arsenal on Thursday morning (AEDT) in what is Holman's first club game in England, and it doesn't get any bigger than this do-or-die Champions League encounter.
"It's one of the biggest games of my career," said Holman, who played an hour as his side scored a stoppage time equaliser at home to Arsenal a fortnight ago.
"It would have to be close to the biggest I think. It's up there with my first Socceroos game, which was against Bahrain.
"But this is the biggest stage in terms of club football and to play a club like Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, it's going to be one of the big moments in my career.
"We got a taste of it two weeks ago and we had a good result against Arsenal at home and hopefully we can repeat it.
"We know it's going to be tough, but we matched them and we defended really well and we go into the game confident and knowing that if we're on our game we can do some damage."
Frustrated and somewhat disillusioned at the end of last season with his impact mainly limited to substitute appearances, he has already made more starts this season under new coach Ronald Koeman.
Holman played 87 minutes in last weekend's win over FC Groningen, subbed two minutes after they scored the game's solitary goal.
His 2009-10 stats read nine starts a goal and an assist, and he's been unlucky not to have netted more, as AZ commence their climb up the table after a slow start.
"Since the new coach has come I've seen a lot more game time, and so far this year I've started nearly every game," he said.
"From last season's championship winning team, I'm the only change. I've come in for a guy who left (Demy de Zeeuw signed for Ajax).
"In one way last season was a good learning experience. In all those years I've been here I've never been in that situation - it doesn't matter what you're doing, you can't break into the team and you've got to learn to be patent and do the right thing."
Visiting the Emirates Stadium will provide the 25-year-old with a great opportunity to impress, although he admits his ambitions of playing in the UK have toned down over the years.
"When I came overseas I had intentions of going to England. But as you get older and move around you realise, while it's a fantastic competition, it's not everything," said Holman, who's contracted for two more years after this season.
"But if a different adventure came up in England or somewhere else where the lifestyle and the football were good, then I would consider it.''