Graham Arnold embracing 'fresh start' as Socceroos plot Saudi Arabia ambush

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold is banking on the "fresh start" provided by wholesale squad changes to ignite Australia's World Cup qualifying campaign against Saudi Arabia.

The Socceroos head into Thursday night's clash at Sydney's CommBank Stadium desperate to bounce back from June's dispiriting play-off losses to Japan and Peru.

Arnold axed nine players from the squad that failed to reach this year's World Cup in Qatar and has handed debuts to six youngsters against Saudi Arabia.

He's also overlooked the likes of experienced defenders Trent Sainsbury and Brad Smith, while veteran midfielder Aaron Mooy has withdrawn through injury.

"There are a lot of fresh faces and I think that's good and it's exciting," Arnold said on Tuesday.

"There's a lot of energy in camp at the moment. These players are hungry and they want to make a name for themselves."

Arnold admitted he and his coaching staff also needed a "fresh start" after Australia's World Cup flop.

"We had a little bit of a break after the June window and reconnected," he said.

"We learned a lot out of the last window and we've moved on. We're looking forward, we're positive about the future and these players that are in the squad now are a big part of that."

The Socceroos failed to win any of their five matches in June, conceding 12 goals in the process.

Arnold has since implemented a higher-intensity training regime and pledged to make the Socceroos "tougher to play against".

"When you look back on the last window, we were at least competitive and unlucky to lose against Japan," he said.

"But when we went to Qatar and played against Peru and Saudi Arabia, we were very poor."

"There's been a lot of hard work done over the last few months on the training pitch. We've got to turn that into performances."

Saudi Arabia are ranked 54th in the world, eight spots below the Socceroos.

The Green Falcons have won their past two internationals and are just three points adrift of Australia atop Group B in the third round of Asian qualifying.

Arnold expects a tough match but said the home-ground advantage would be crucial for the Socceroos.

"We're confident on our home ground," he said.

"We haven't lost here in a long time and we want to keep that record going."