Ange Postecoglou declared facing England is an "exciting" challenge for his Socceroos as they prepare for the highly-anticipated clash against the old enemy later this month.
Speaking at the announcement of his 23-man squad on Wednesday, Postecoglou underlined the huge test England will provide his side on May 27.
England will be busily preparing for Euro 2016 in France and will feature a squad containing the likes of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy and Tottenham's prolific centre-forward Harry Kane.
But Postecoglou and his squad thrive on testing themselves against the very best.
"It means something to our players and our fans. To play England over there is a fantastic opportunity to test ourselves against a team that's heading off to the Euros [European Championships] and is in very good form.
"It's an exciting fixture. The Premier League gets a lot of coverage over here, so the public are familiar with the players we're up against.
"For us, it's more about making sure we take the opportunity to progress our football and make sure we use these friendly games to make sure we're ready for what's ahead and that's the qualifiers for the World Cup."
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It's been 13 years since the two nations last meet, with the Socceroos springing a huge upset at Upton Park by beating England 3-1.
A repeat of that result – especially with so many new faces in the Australian squad – would be widely viewed as a similar upset for the Socceroos but Postecoglou doesn't see it that way.
"Hopefully we're past trying to get feathers in caps in friendlies. Our football has progressed since then… a feather in our cap would be to beat England or a team like England at a World Cup," he said.
"We're more than recognised now as a footballing country. Friendly games are very important for preparing teams for what's ahead, and for us it's the World Cup qualifiers.
"If we win I don't think it will necessarily be a feather in our cap. What's more important is we play well and continue progressing our football. As a nation now we should be looking for feathers in caps in major tournaments rather than friendly games.
Postecoglou added: "As a team we want to progress and test our football against quality opposition.
"Can our football stand up against the best when we get to a World Cup? That's what we'll do on the day and hopefully it measures up."
Postecoglou expects England to be at full strength when the two nations meet and is relishing the opportunity to test his players against the best.
"They will be using these games to get themselves ready for a major tournament, which I'm sure they will want to do well in," he said.
"It's part of the reason I wanted this fixture was because we're going to get a great test.
"It's hard to play away from home at the best of times but when a team is on the cusp of a major tournament you know they are going to be taking it very seriously.
"The reason they want to play us is because they want us to test them out and I'm sure that's what we'll do on the day."
- Goal