Viduka looks to old times with Kewell to conjure goals

Australian football player Mark Viduka speaks at a press conference in Bangkok. Viduka is looking to his innate understanding with Harry Kewell to realise the goals to take Australia to victory in the Asian Cup.

Mark Viduka is looking to his innate understanding with Harry Kewell to realise the goals to take Australia to victory in the Asian Cup.

The technically-gifted striker is passing up pre-season training with his new club Newcastle United to lead Australia in their first continental campaign, starting with Oman here on Sunday.

While the 31-year-old has amassed 155 goals in 294 league appearances for Dynamo Zagreb, Celtic, Leeds United and Middlesbrough over 13 seasons, he has struggled to score for his country.

Viduka has only netted eight goals in 39 internationals, but he's optimistic that his brace against Singapore last Saturday will lead to better things at the Asian Cup.

It was his telepathic understanding with former Leeds United teammate Kewell that gave him scoring chances in the second half of the Singapore match and Viduka says he is looking forward to working again with the Liverpool star.

"You can have a good game as a striker but if you don't score it's always at the back of your mind," he said Saturday.

"It was good the other day to get a couple of goals against Singapore. It was my first game for six or seven weeks and to get two goals in your first game of pre-season is really good for confidence and not only that to do it for Australia was even better."

Viduka and Kewell played three years together at Leeds before Kewell moved to Liverpool in July 2003 and Viduka switched to Middlesbrough the following season.

"When I play up front by myself it's sometimes difficult to get into positions because you have two defenders on you, but Harry when comes on we have a good understanding, probably going back to the Leeds days," Viduka said.

"A lot of the times we combine without any effort. It just comes automatically and maybe some of the other (Australian) players like Brett Holman we are still getting to know each other as players.

"I played with Harry for a long time at Leeds and it makes it a lot easier for me because he knows where I run, how I come off the ball and I know what he's going to do once he passes it."

Viduka wrestled with his decision to commit to play in the Asian Cup, almost announcing his retirement from international football only to waver at the last minute.

"It's a big commitment coming to the Asian Cup for me especially because I'm moving clubs and I want to do well for my new club and I only met (manager) Sam Allardyce when I was doing my medical at Newcastle.

"It's very difficult to go away and miss the whole pre-season and not get to know your fellow players and maybe moving house, there are a lot of things involved there and that was my biggest dilemma about that.

"But in the end what prevailed was my love of playing Australia, that's what made it such a difficult decision. I wanted to be involved in this tournament."

Coach Graham Arnold has been working on ways to get the best use out of Viduka.

"I've looked a lot at our performances and I felt Mark wasn't getting enough support at times, he was doing a lot of work and his strength is around the penalty box and scoring goals.

"We've worked on getting players around him to support him because he has a wonderful gift in bringing other people into play and also scoring goals."