Apostolos Stamatelopoulos seeks goals to boost World Cup hopes

Motherwell’s Apostolos Stamatelopoulos knows has to get on the goal trail if he is to go with Australia to next summer’s World Cup.

The Socceroos booked their place in the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in June.

The 26-year-old striker, capped once for Australia, has scored once for the Steelmen this season in a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup win over Morton.

Ahead of the William Hill Premiership clash with Dundee at Dens Park on Saturday, Stamatelopoulos, who signed from Newcastle Jets on a three-year deal in July 2024, said: “Of course, that’s another motivator for me to score goals.

“I definitely want to represent my country and go to a World Cup.

“I was in the extended squad and on stand-by for this camp here (double-header friendlies against New Zealand), but I’m not going to get in if I am not scoring goals, they need someone who is going to score goals. I know what I have to do.

“I’m focused on here first and hopefully if I get there, then full focus on that.

“I don’t like to talk too much about stats, but I feel like I’m up there. Now it’s just about executing and I feel like it’ll come and I’m confident in my ability that it will come and once it does, I think I’ll kick on from there.

“I trust my ability to put the ball in the back of the net. It’s put me where I am now and it will take me wherever it’s meant to take me and I believe that’s one of my strengths, so when the chances come I just have to be ready for them and I will be.

“I’m big into analysis, I do it all the time and it’s good to have Jon Obika, who was a striker, and every single week after every single game we go into clips.

“They reiterate to me that I’m getting in the right positions, my movement in the box is good and it is about connecting with the team-mates and that’s why sitting here, I’m not all doom and gloom that I haven’t scored.

“I trust my team-mates to deliver the ball, in training they do it all the time.

“So it’s just about once we get that first one, building confidence between each other, that relationship, and when it comes, it’ll be great.”