An illness to veteran forward Craig Goodwin and a host of injuries has forced a Socceroos shake-up as the Australians face Lebanon in World Cup qualifying (8.10pm AEDT).
Australia are back in action for the first time since their disappointing quarter-final exit at the Asian Cup, with focus turning now to world No. 115 Cedars.
The Socceroos are targeting a pair of victories when they face Lebanon tonight in Sydney and in Canberra on Tuesday – the latter officially a Lebanon home game that was moved down under due to instability in the Middle East.
Two wins would guarantee the Socceroos a place in the third stage of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with two games in hand.
Graham Arnold tweaked the Socceroos formation from the usual 4-3-3 to a traditional 4-4-2 in response to a host of absences.
It sees the dual threat of Kusini Yengi and Adam Taggart given the chance to play as strikers together, with Arnold backing the two in-form forwards to break down a defensive Lebanon line-up.
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The Socceroos beat Bangladesh 7-0 and Palestine 1-0 in their first two World Cup qualifiers – and still have to play those two teams again – while Lebanon drew 0-0 against both nations.
Lebanon are expected to set up defensively and try to hit the Socceroos with rapid counter-attacks, with Socceroos coach Graham Arnold hoping his side can show their offensive weaponry in the final third.
“What I want to see and expect to see is some positive things in the final third … and the boys going for it,” Arnold said yesterday.
“That’s important for me. I feel in that middle third, we’re very good, then we get in the final third, and a lot of it’s down to the individual, and that’s what I expect.”
The two teams have faced off twice in friendly matches, with Australia winning both 3-0.
But it’s not going to be an easy test.
Jackson Irvine said: “These games just continually get harder as the competition in Asia gets more difficult. I think the standard is getting higher across the Confederation. All the way through, we’ve been tested more and more in these games as time has gone on.”
Should the Socceroos win both matches and book their place in the next stage of qualifying, they will be one of 18 teams split into three groups of six. Each team plays the others in their group at home and away, with the top two teams from each group directly qualifying for the World Cup jointly held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The third and fourth-placed teams continue to a fourth stage of AFC qualifying – but the Socceroos will hope to avoid the kind of last-ditch qualification journey that saw them book their place in Qatar 2022 only in an intercontinental playoff against Peru.
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TEAM NEWS
The Socceroos have been struck down by a wave of injuries, with three forced changes to the starting team followed by a fourth for form reasons.
Winger Martin Boyle is absent after recently suffering a sickening head knock for his club Hibernian, while Marco Tilio, Aziz Behich, and Awer Mabil are all injured.
Aiden O’Neill is suspended after being sent off in the Asian Cup quarter-final, a 2-1 extra time loss to South Korea – but an ankle injury would have ruled him out regardless.
And right-back Lewis Miller was called up to the squad only to suffer a hamstring injury while playing in Scotland that has now ruled him out.
Meanwhile, veteran winger Craig Goodwin (of English second-tier team Middlesbrough) came down sick while flying home and did not link up with the squad as he recovers. He will not play tonight but the Socceroos are hopeful their regular set-piece taker will return for Tuesday’s match.
Fans will have to wait for the substitions to see a long-awaited return for ‘X-Factor’ playmaker Ajdin Hrustic, who was stuck in club limbo for nearly all of 2023 before securing a move to the Netherlands where much-needed match minutes earned him a recall to the national team.
He played just one of the Socceroos’ 14 matches since the start of 2023.
Arnold said: “I think it’s great to see [Hrustic] back playing. I have been watching him play in Holland, but yesterday was probably the first time I’ve seen him live since, doing the training session, to see the 11 v 11. But it’s great to have him back, he brings that X factor for us that can change games and that’s important.”
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Perth Glory striker Adam Taggart’s rich vein of scoring form earned him a first start since September 2022, alongside in-form Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi.
Yengi only joined Portsmouth in July last year – for around 80 thousand pounds from the Western Sydney Wanderers – but his maiden campaign has already been impressive, with 11 goals and two assists in 24 games across all competitions.
What makes those statistics more impressive is that he has started just five of 19 league appearances – but in his last two games he has scored a combined three goals.
Yengi debuted for Australia in November last year and has made three more appearances since then – including a first start at the Asian Cup where he earned a penalty with a mazy dribble into the area.
He replaces Duke in one of four changes from the Socceroos’ last match – with the ruled-out trio of Behich, Boyle, and Goodwin forcing Arnold’s hand.
Kye Rowles will deputise at left-back for the injured Aziz Behich, with young gun Jordan Bos having mostly been used as a winger under Arnold instead of his natural left-back role.
But 21-year-old starlet Bos was left out of the starting line-up completely, with Riley McGree set to start at winger.
The decision to omit Bos left pundits puzzled, with Adam Brosque saying on Channel 10: “There must be a reason.”
Coach Graham Arnold explained the snub, saying Bos was a late arrival to the team camp.
Bos: “I think you saw Kye do a job for us against Mexico and against England (in friendlies last year). One thing they do look for is hit us on the counter attack.
“Jordy didn’t arrive until 2am Wednesday morning. He basically did a session Wednesday evening – but he gives us that option off the bench.”
Meanwhile 21-year-old midfielder Patrick Yazbek – a Lebanese-Australian – will be hoping to make an emotional debut, while fellow midfielder Josh Nisbet, striker John Iredale, and goalkeeper Thomas Glover are also potential debutants this series.
Lebanon, meanwhile, lined up with five at the back.
CONFIRMED STARTING XI (4-4-2, L-R)
Mathew Ryan (GK, C)
Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Cameron Burgess, Nathaniel Atkinson,
Riley McGree, Jackson Irvine, Keanu Baccus, Connor Metcalfe,
Adam Taggart, Kusini Yengi.
FULL SOCCEROOS SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Maty Ryan (captain), Thomas Glover, Joe Gauci
Defenders: Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Cameron Burgess, Nathaniel Atkinson, Jordan Bos, Thomas Deng, Gethin Jones,
Midfielders: Jackson Irvine, Keanu Baccus, Ajdin Hrustic, Craig Goodwin, Connor Metcalfe, Riley McGree, Patrick Yazbek, Josh Nisbet
Forwards: Mitchell Duke, Adam Taggart, Kusini Yengi, John Iredale, Bruno Fornaroli, Brandon Borrello, Sam Silvera
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