Socceroos to get World Cup taster in Brazil friendly

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will get an early taste of the conditions in store at next year's World Cup finals when they take on hosts Brazil in an international friendly in Brasilia next month, Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Thursday.

The Socceroos qualified for the World Cup finals for the third successive tournament with a 1-0 win over Iraq in June and coach Holger Osieck said the September 7 match against the Selecao would be "a valuable learning experience".

"With less than twelve months to go to the World Cup this match is a great opportunity for us to get an impression of the environment we will face," the German said in a news release.

"Brazil is one of the top teams in the world and a great challenge for us as we prepare ourselves for the World Cup."

Australia have played five-times world champions Brazil six times previously, most recently when they were beaten 2-0 in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Greg Stutchbury)