Iraq coach has history on his side Vladimir Petrovic is the only coach to have beaten Australia in a World Cup qualifier at ANZ Stadium, and the Iraq boss boasted on Monday that he doesn't know how to lose to the Socceroos. Petrovic was in charge of China during their 2010 qualifying campaign and despite his largely unsuccessful tenure, he was the only tactician to beat the Socceroos at home throughout the series. The 57-year-old Serbian guided China to a 1-0 win in front of a near full house at ANZ Stadium in 2008, and his confidence of repeating that feat is based on the history books. "I've been here twice to Australia and there was two matches, I've won one match against Australia and I drew one match, so I don't know how I'm going to lose to Australia," Petrovic said through a translator. Much like China in 2008, Iraq are already out of contention for a place in the World Cup. Their chances of salvaging pride against the Socceroos were dealt a blow after losing two of their most experienced players for Tuesday's match against Australia. Former captain Younis Mahmoud and Nashat Akram announced their abrupt retirement from all levels of football after the 1-0 loss to Japan last week, but Petrovic hopes to find a silver lining in the talented youngsters that will be fast-tracked into the starting line-up. "The match will continue even if the players aren't there, we have other players that will do the job, young players that will prove themselves in tomorrow's match," Petrovic said. Goalkeeper Noor Sabri inherited the captain's armband, and admitted that the late withdrawals left a void of seniority in their starting side. But Sabri said national pride would help them overcome these adverse preparations as they hope to derail the Socceroos' path to Brazil. Regardless of what we've been through last week, we have the motivation of always getting the best result for our country. As you know, we have a lot of pressure from our fans and this is the only thing that makes our fans happy. So we always think of them and regardless if it's a friendly match or a qualifier, any match we go out there to get the result and carry our country's name in the best way. Iraq have a strong record against Australia, having defeated the Socceroos in the 2007 Asian Cup and eliminating the Olyroos from the 2004 Olympics. Sabri regards Australia as one of the continent's greatest football nations, and said the honour of defeating them was a constant motivation. "It's a good test for us playing against Australia, a big team, a lot of players playing in Europe, and when you get a result [against] a team like this you will be very proud of yourself and you will know how good you are," Sabri said.