Western Sydney Wanderers captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley and striker Tomi Juric have been selected in the Socceroos squad to play United Arab Emirates and Qatar in October.
The Socceroos face the UAE in Abu Dhabi on Friday 10 October and then play Qatar in Doha on Tuesday 14 October as Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou continues to give players an opportunity at international level to create more depth ahead of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
“We are still giving players we’ve identified for the National team an opportunity to experience international football to ensure we create a deeper pool of players to call on for the Asian Cup and beyond,” Postecoglou said.
“These two games give us a few more to throw into the mix with an experienced core group of players to see how they cope with the training intensity and the demands of international football before we start monitoring them all leading into the Japan match.
“We will be in a position to select a settled squad for the Japan match in November, which will offer a strong indication of where we are at leading into the Asian Cup although players can always come into the squad with strong form and fitness at club level.”
The Socceroos squad includes four Hyundai A-League players, 14 members of the final squad from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and just one uncapped player.
The matches take place at the same time as the opening round of the Hyundai A-League 2014/15 season and Postecoglou admitted to a balancing act between the local competition and the needs of the National Team.
“We were mindful that the matches coincide with the first weekend of the A-League and we tried to not be too disruptive but ultimately this is our National team and everyone agrees this is the highest honour in the game and we will always pick players deserving of that honour,” Postecoglou said.
The 23-man Socceroos squad is:
Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, Western Sydney Wanderers FC, AUSTRALIA
Tomi JURIC, Western Sydney Wanderers FC, AUSTRALIA
Aziz BEHICH, Bursaspor, TURKEY
Mark BRESCIANO, Al Gharafa, QATAR
Joshua BRILLANTE, ACF Fiorentina, ITALY
Tim CAHILL, New York Red Bulls, USA
Jason DAVIDSON, West Bromwich Albion F.C., ENGLAND
Adam FEDERICI, Reading FC, ENGLAND
Ivan FRANJIC, FK Torpedo Moskva, RUSSIA
Chris HERD, Bolton Wanderers FC, ENGLAND
James HOLLAND, FK Austria Vienna, AUSTRIA
Bernie IBINI-ISEI, Sydney FC, AUSTRALIA
Mile JEDINAK, Crystal Palace FC, ENGLAND
Mitchell LANGERAK, B.V. Borussia 09 Dortmund, GERMANY
Mathew LECKIE, FC Ingolstadt 04, GERMANY
Massimo LUONGO, Swindon Town FC, ENGLAND
Mark MILLIGAN, Melbourne Victory FC, AUSTRALIA
Tommy OAR, FC Utrecht, NETHERLANDS
Mat RYAN, Club Brugge KV, BELGIUM
Trent SAINSBURY, P.E.C. Zwolle, NETHERLANDS
Brad SMITH, Swindon Town FC, ENGLAND
James TROISI, S.V. Zulte Waregem, BELGIUM
Alex WILKINSON, Jeonbuk Hyundai FC, KOREA REPUBLIC
UAE v Australia
10 October 2014
Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Kick-Off 6.30pm (1.30am AEDT October 11)
Qatar v Australia
14 October 2014
Lekhwiya Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-Off 7.30pm (3.30am AEDT October 15)
Both matches will be broadcast LIVE and exclusive on FOX SPORTS.
