Fresh faces to help Socceroos in 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Play-off
Sydney: Socceroos Head Coach Ange Postecoglou has promoted five fresh faces to his final 23-player squad for next month’s crunch 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Syria.
Former Hyundai A-League players Aziz Behich, Craig Goodwin, Nikita Rukavytsya and Matthew Jurman, have each been promoted to Postecoglou’s latest 23-player squad, as has current Western Sydney Wanderers FC defender Josh Risdon.
Eighteen of the players originally named in Postecoglou’s 23-player squad for the team’s recent FIFA World Cup Asian Qualification matches against Japan and Thailand have retained their spot in the latest Socceroos squad.
The Socceroos will aim to take a step towards the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Russia, by securing a two-legged play-off victory over Syria following games in Melaka, Malaysia on October 5, and Sydney, Australia on October 10.
“I am confident that we have a group of players capable of achieving our goal of progressing to the next stage of qualification,” Postecoglou said.
“As I have mentioned on many occasions, it is important for us to have a large and vocal home crowd for the second match of this series, and I’m sure the boys will appreciate all the support from the local fans.”
The Socceroos will begin to assemble in Melaka, Malaysia from October 1. Following the away leg on neutral territory, the group will arrive home in Australia on October 6.
Socceroos squad:
Name
Club, Country
A-International Caps (Goals)
Mustafa AMINI
Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF), DENMARK
2 (0)
Aziz BEHICH
Bursaspor, TURKEY
16 (2)
Tim CAHILL
Melbourne City FC, AUSTRALIA
102 (48)
Milos DEGENEK
Yokohama F. Marinos, JAPAN
12 (0)
Craig GOODWIN
Sparta Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
3 (0)
Jackson IRVINE
Hull City AFC, ENGLAND
14 (1)
Tomi JURIC
FC Luzern, SWITZERLAND
28 (8)
Matthew JURMAN
Suwon Samsung Bluewings, KOREA REPUBLIC
0 (0)
Robbie KRUSE
VfL Bochum, GERMANY
57 (4)
Mitchell LANGERAK (GK)
Levante UD, SPAIN
8 (0)
Mathew LECKIE
Hertha BSC, GERMANY
46 (6)
Massimo LUONGO
Queens Park Rangers FC, ENGLAND
30 (5)
Mark MILLIGAN
Melbourne Victory FC, AUSTRALIA
61 (6)
Aaron MOOY
Huddersfield Town AFC, ENGLAND
27 (5)
Josh RISDON
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, AUSTRALIA
3 (0)
Tom ROGIC
Celtic FC, SCOTLAND
29 (7)
Nikita RUKAVYTSYA
Maccabi Haifa FC, ISRAEL
13 (1)
Mathew RYAN (GK)
Brighton & Hove Albion FC, ENGLAND
37 (0)
Trent SAINSBURY
Jiangsu Suning FC, CHINA
29 (3)
Brad SMITH
AFC Bournemouth, ENGLAND
18 (0)
James TROISI
Melbourne Victory FC, AUSTRALIA
34 (5)
Daniel VUKOVIC (GK)
KRC Genk, BELGIUM
0 (0)
Bailey WRIGHT
Bristol City FC, ENGLAND
19 (1)
Fixtures
2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers – Asian Play-offs – 1st leg
Syria v Socceroos
October 5
Hang Jebat Stadium, Melaka, Malaysia
Kick-off: 8.30pm (local)
2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers – Asian Play-offs – 2nd leg
Socceroos v Syria
October 10 2017
Stadium Australia, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, Australia
Kick-off: 8pm (local)
Source: socceroos.com.au
Source: the-afc.com
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