They may be from different countries in Europe but Besart Berisha and Thomas Broich both say they feel like they will be representing Australia in Sunday’s Foxtel A-League All Stars clash against Juventus.
The match at ANZ Stadium will be the pair’s second appearance for the Foxtel A-League All Stars after turning out against Manchester United last year.
Both Broich and Berisha have played huge roles in Brisbane Roar’s recent title-winning successes as the Hyundai A-League has gone from strength-to-strength.
The duo both take pride in how much the league has improved every year and are determined to put on a show against Juventus to show the world just how good Australian football is.
“It’s a pleasure to be here at this point in time. Football in Australia is getting better and better and it’s been amazing over the last four years,” German midfielder Broich said on Thursday.
“What the Socceroos did at the World Cup was impressive to me, even though they didn’t win a game; they are certainly heading in the right direction.
“And games like (Juventus) are really important when it comes to the public perception. The whole world is going to take notice of this result and if we can get a good one it’s going to mean a lot to the league.”
Albanian striker Berisha took a similar them to his former Roar team-mate, and concedes part of him feels like he is representing Australia against the Italian champions.
“Of course. It’s important for Australian football. We are a league that every year is getting better and better,” Berisha said.
“We need to show on Sunday that we are a great Australian All Stars.
“In my mind it’s very important and I’m going to try everything to bring Australian football up. This is why I’m here playing football in Australia.
“We want to win the game. We don’t want to lose again and we’re going to try everything to win.”
After a recovery and travel day back to Sydney on Wednesday, the All Stars got back down to business on Thursday with their slickest training session since coming into camp.
The morning started with the team’s official photo before coach Josep Gombau and his assistant Phil Moss worked more on structure and combinations.
Juventus’ legion of stars arrive in Sydney on Friday morning, fresh from their crushing 8-1 win over an Indonesian Select XI in Jakarta on Wednesday night where Fernando Llorente scored a first half hat-trick.
The FOXTEL A-League All Stars will meet Juventus at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on 10 August with the match to be broadcast live and exclusive on the Seven Network nationally.
