There’s no Tim Cahill, Mat Leckie or Apostolos Giannou but there’ll be no issue scoring goals against England, according to Caltex Socceroos striker Tomi Juric.
With those three attacking stars unavailable for the friendly clash at the Stadium of Light, the onus will fall on the likes of Juric and Brisbane Roar striker Jamie Maclaren to deliver the goals to sink the Three Lions.
Coach Ange Postecoglou is likely to need to choose between either Juric or debutant Maclaren to lead the line on Saturday (AEST).
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But whichever way the coach goes, Juric feels there is plenty of attacking arsenal in the Socceroos squad to fill the void left by those key absences.
“Jamie’s been in great form and had a great season with Brisbane,” Juric told FFA TV.
“Without a doubt we’ve got enough firepower up front to score some goals.
“And it’s not just on me and Jamie. We have other players that can deliver in the final third, that’s what’s so exciting about this team.”
Juric is back in Socceroo camp for the first time since November’s qualifier against Kyrgyzstan in Canberra after enduring an injury-riddled end to the season in the Netherlands.
The Roda JC striker picked up a knee injury while at a training camp in Portugal in January, missing two months of the Eredivisie season.
He returned late in the campaign and played a handful of matches, ending his first season in Holland with seven goals in 20 appearances for Roda.
Asked about his maiden season in Europe, the 24-year-old said: “A lot of ups and downs I guess. Inconsistent, which has really been tough for me.
“A whole year of adaptation as well. I started off strong and I was really happy with the way I was going and I was just a bit unfortunate with my injury…that put me back a fair bit.
“It was an uphill battle from there. I tried to get as many games as possible at the end of the season and that’s what I did. By my standards not good enough but hopefully next year it will be much better.”
While admitting he’s still not in peak condition, Juric is delighted to be back in Camp Socceroo ahead of the glamour friendly with Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions.
“It’s difficult to describe to people how different it is here [with the Socceroos] and how professional it is,” he said.
“Everyone plays their role and it’s fantastic. It’s great to be back and it’s something you don’t want to let go of.
“You have to be pushing and doing your best every time you are here.”
