BANGKOK - Midfielder Vince Grella believes Australia will not quite be at their peak when they make their debut in the AFC Asian Cup against Oman on Sunday.

The Socceroos are being touted as one of the favourites for the tournament with the majority of their squad playing their club football in the top leagues across Europe.

As a consequence, though, they are not used to the uncomfortable playing conditions of South East Asia, with humidity levels high and the threat of torrential rain storms hanging in the air.

The majority of the Australia squad has been training in Singapore for the last couple of weeks to acclimatise to the heat, while those who had been playing in Europe joined them a couple of days later.

With the European leagues' seasons just finishing, many players are still recovering from a long domestic campaign and that, coupled with the climate, could have an affect on the Socceroos.

"I think we will be getting into that first game just a little under 100%.

"I think physically the opposition has maybe a little bit of an advantage over us, being used to this climate.

"We are trying to modify our way of playing and saving as much energy as we can to get through the game."

Sunday's Group A clash will mark the first time Australia have ever played Oman.

The Gulf side have qualified for the finals only once before, in 2004, and have never made it past the first round.

But, Oman go into the game on the back of a credible 1-1 draw with AFC Asian Cup heavyweights Saudi Arabia.

And Grella insisted Australia will not underestimate their opponents this weekend.

"Obviously we want to maxmise the points we can get in the group stage," he added.

"It is important to start well, I think the respect that the Australian national team has for Oman is high.

"We will be studying them closer in the next couple of days and for us it is important to start well."

Friday, July 06, 2007 at 4:28 PM