Pakistan, which is making efforts to raise a strong team for next year’s Olympic Games, will meet the home team on Thursday fully aware that to overcome the Aussies it will need all the firepower and a “bit of luck.”

Australia, the reigning Olympic champion, is easily one of the best teams in world hockey something that it proved again last week by comfortably winning a four-nation event in Perth that also involved New Zealand and India.

“Australia is the best team in the world at the moment,” said Khawaja Junaid, Pakistan’s manager, in an interview with Arab News on Wednesday. “They are an aggressive team with a lot of match-winners which is why a match against them is always a really tough one,” added Junaid, a former Olympian.

“In addition to that they have great crowd support at home. Everything favors them including the playing conditions.”

But Junaid was quick to add that his charges will be eyeing an upset win when they take the field against the Aussies on Thursday.

“We will go all out for a win against them,” said Junaid. “In the last few months, we have played and lost a couple of very close matches against Australia and I believe that if we give our best we can turn the tables on them.”

Pakistan fell to Australia in extra-time at this year’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh (Malaysia). Last week, they were beaten by Australia by an odd goal in a match of the inaugural nine— a-side Super League in Perth. Australia went on to win the title while Pakistan finished third just ahead of India.

Pakistan, which regained the Asian Games crown in China after a gap of 20 years in 2010, has shown improvement in several departments of the game in recent times but its tendency to squander goal-scoring chances continues especially against top teams like Australia.

Junaid said that Pakistan will enhance its chances of beating Australia if it is able to curb this weakness.

“We have to play to our potential. If we avail our chances then I’m sure that we can produce positive results even against a strong team like Australia,” he said.

Junaid said that Pakistan will also hope that luck is on its side. “In such matches a lot depends on luck. In the past, luck has mostly deserted us with bad calls going against us but I hope that things will change this time because with a little bit of luck we can produce good results.”

Pakistan and Australia were supposed to play a Test series this week but the event’s organizers accepted India’s request and turned the contest into a triangular tournament to be played on a double league basis.

According to the new schedule, Pakistan will meet old rival India in a mouth-watering clash on Friday. Pakistan’s next round of matches will be played on Oct. 30 (Australia) and Nov. 1 (India). On Nov. 2, the top two teams of the event will play for the top spot in Perth.