Milligan backs Brosque to fire against Japan

Mark Milligan says the form of Qantas Socceroos teammate Alex Brosque in Japan’s J.League augurs well for Australia ahead of June’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Mark Milligan says the form of Qantas Socceroos teammate Alex Brosque in Japan-s J.League augurs well for Australia ahead of June-s FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Milligan, a mainstay at second-tier JEF Chiba in Tokyo-s east for the past three years, has observed Brosque-s rapid rise in J.League 1 since his arrival at Shimizu S-Pulse last season.

Since his introduction to Japanese football, Brosque has become a key contributor to one of Japan-s form outfits - netting four goals already this campaign while his club has soared to second place in the 18-team competition.

“They-ll be very wary of Alex Brosque, he-s playing some great football, he-s really, really doing well,” said Milligan.

“I-m fortunate enough to see him week in, week out and I see the damage that he does to the Japanese defences in the J.League.

“If he can take that sort of form, which I-m sure he will, into the Japan game, he-ll be a major threat.”

No doubt, Brosque will be a marked man when the Qantas Socceroos face off against Japan at Brisbane-s Suncorp Stadium on 12 June.

Australian fans will be hoping Brosque-s hot streak in front of goal continues in green and gold, not to mention Milligan himself continuing the form he-s been showcasing with JEF United, where he has scored twice in recent weeks.

When asked about whether there was one Japanese player in to watch out for, Milligan was more concerned with the team as a whole.

“There-s a lot of talented players here in the J.League but they-ve got some boys overseas now at Dortmund and places like that, that are really starting to hit their stride, and take Japanese football to another level,” said Milligan.

“We know how technical they are and what not, but they just look better and better every time I see them play as a national team.

“There-s a lot of dangerous individuals but as a whole, at the moment, Japanese football is thriving.”

The Qantas Socceroos begin their final phase of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with a clash against Oman in Muscat on Friday, 8 June.

Soon after, the Qantas Socceroos will host Japan in their first home fixture of the fourth stage of Asia-s FIFA World Cup qualification process on Tuesday, 12 June at Brisbane-s Suncorp Stadium. Kick off is at 8pm.

Tickets are on sale now, click here or call 132 849.