Defender Trent Sainsbury says his Caltex Socceroos “brothers” are making it easy for him to perform in the national team.
Sainsbury comes into camp on the back of a strong first season in the Chinese Super League, with his side Jiangsu Suning finishing in second spot.
Caltex Socceroos striker ruled out of Thailand clash
Caltex Socceroo defender expects tricky test in Thailand
They also have the two-legged FA Cup final against Guangzhou Evergrande to come later this month, with the first leg away on November 20 before the return clash a week later.
The 24-year-old has been content with his performances in the CSL and it has translated into the Green and Gold, with Sainsbury playing every minute in this phase of qualifying so far.
“A lot of it has to do with being comfortable in the team as well…and not just on the pitch,” he told FFA TV.
“Getting to know the players around you, instead of just calling them team-mates, it’s more calling them brothers.
“Then you start to get the feeling of that camaraderie and that you belong.
"It does help.”
He added, Australia must be prepared to deal with Thailand’s off-the-cuff style in next week’s FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bangkok.
After four straight losses for Thailand so far in qualifying, Sainsbury is expecting to face a “wounded beast” at the Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday night.
While confident of taking another significant step towards Russia 2018, Sainsbury is aware of the tricky test awaiting the Australian side.
“I’ve watched a little bit of the AFC Cup and you see a few of their players in the teams there and also in the [AFC] Champions League,” Sainsbury said.
“They are exciting players, they are not the most technically brilliant in the world or tactically but at the same time they are a bit off-the-cuff which is extremely dangerous to most teams.
“Especially with the fans over here, I know they love their football and are crazy for it. It’s not going to be an easy situation for us.”
With eight points – from two wins and two draws – from the first four matches, the Caltex Socceroos are well-placed approaching the halfway mark on the final stage of the Road to Russia.
Ange Postecoglou’s side is currently second, two points behind Saudi Arabia and one ahead of third-placed Japan.
The Samurai Blue host the Saudis on the same night next week. Irrespective of that result, a win for the Caltex Socceroos would put them in a strong position ahead of their final five qualifiers in 2017.
“I think we’re going to qualify with a good style of play. I don’t think it’s going to be comfortable for us but it never is going to be comfortable,” Sainsbury said when asked how the team is placed at the moment.
“The way that we want to play and the way we want to dominate teams, we’re going to have to give it our all.
“At the moment we’re very well placed to go through. We’ve got a lot of home games to come so if we get the fans behind us it will be a huge boost for us.”