Wed 25th Oct 2006

The Qantas Socceroos will continue their preparations for next year's AFC Asian Cup finals with an international against African powerhouse Ghana in London on Tuesday 14 November.

Ghana (ranked 24 in the World, Australia 37) were the only African nation to make the second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup registering wins over Czech Republic and USA who were both ranked in the top ten at the time. They were eliminated by Brazil at the same stage Australia lost to Italy.

Loftus Road, the home of Queens Park Rangers including young Australian player Nick Ward, will play host to the match which will kick off at 7.45pm.

Australian coach Graham Arnold believes the clash will give the Qantas Socceroos another significant test as the team continues to look towards the 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals in July.

"Our eyes are firmly on achieving success at the Asian Cup and matches like the one against Ghana are going to be crucial to our preparations," said Arnold.

"They are a very tough opposition who showed during the World Cup they are capable of being one of the best sides in the World."

"We hope that there will be plenty of Australian fans there. Many people made the trip from England over to Germany to support us during the World Cup so this is a great opportunity for them to see the team in action again."

Tickets go on sale Monday 23 October and range from £15 to £25. They will be available from Ticketmaster (In the United Kingdom) on 0870 169 6874, www.ticketmaster.co.uk or from the Queens Park Rangers box office on 0870 112 1967.

The match will be broadcast in Australia exclusively live on SBS Television.