Socceroos squad named for upcoming WCQs

Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak and goalkeeper Mat Ryan will return from injury for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches against Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh early next month.

Jedinak and Ryan have not played for Australia since the opening match of World Cup Qualifying against Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek in June and give Socceroos Head Coach Ange Postecoglou added firepower for the matches in Canberra on 12 November and Dhaka on November 17.

Mat Ryan: I'm ready for La Liga

The pair will be joined by uncapped Perth Glory defender Josh Risdon as Postecoglou makes three changes to the squad that played Jordan in Amman on 8 October. They replace the injured Eugene Galekovic, midfielder Luke Brattan and Adelaide United defender Tarek Elrich.

“Having Mile and Matty available again is a boost for the next two matches,” Postecoglou said. “Mile has made his return from injury and as the skipper his presence will be a bonus for us while Mat will be back in full training by the time the window comes along next week.

“Josh’s selection is a reward for his form with Perth Glory. He has been on our radar for a while now, he’s started the season well so we’ll bring him to see how he fits into the environment in a position we have been open in suggesting we need to create more depth.”

Perth Glory defender Josh Risdon

Risdon's road to the Socceroos

Postecoglou also took the opportunity to state his enthusiasm for the way the core group of players in the squad has adapted to an increased level of competition at club level, which has the Socceroos Head Coach confident his charges are in good shape halfway through the first stage of qualification.

“While the performance and result in Jordan were not what we hoped for we are still in a good position to progress to the next round of qualifiers at the top of the group,” Postecoglou said. “We have three matches at home and nothing changes with the way we are approaching the next two games.

“We are in a better position now than we were 12 months ago in relation to the standard of competition our players have reached and the amount of game time and performances they are enjoying.

“Guys like Matty Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Tomi Juric and Mat Ryan have stepped up to bigger leagues and are better for the experience, which should translate into improved performances for the National Team.

Mat Leckie netted his second goal for the Socceroos against Bangladesh.

“We also had guys like Nathan Burns, Jason Davidson, Ryan McGowan, Mark Milligan, Tommy Oar, Matt Spiranovic and James Troisi make moves that has seen them play regular football as well as Tommy Rogic who is now playing regularly for Celtic.

“We have a group of players in form and playing consistently, which is important as we look to the matches against Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.”

The Socceroos matches against Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh will be broadcast exclusively LIVE on FOX SPORTS and on a one hour delay on SBS.

Socceroo Match Details

Australia v Kyrgyzstan                                         Bangladesh v Australia

​​​​​12 November 2015                                              17 November 2015

GIO Stadium, Canberra                                       Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka

Kick off 8pm (AEDT)                                             5.30pm kick off (10.30pm AEDT)

Tickets for the Australia v Kyrgyzstan match in Canberra are available at www.socceroos.com.au/tickets

Socceroos

  Socceroos squad for 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers v Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh

Name

Club, Country

A International Caps (Goals)

Nathan Burns

FC Tokyo, Japan

16 (1)

Tim Cahill

Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC, China PR

86 (41)

Alex Cisak (gk)

Leyton Orient FC, England

0 (0)

Jason Davidson

Huddersfield Town AFC, England

21 (1)

Adam Federici (gk)

AFC Bournemouth, England

13 (0)

Mile Jedinak

Crystal Palace, England

59 (9)

Tomi Juric

Roda JC Kerkrade, Netherlands

14 (2)

Mathew Leckie

FC Ingolstadt 04, Germany

28 (2)

Massimo Luongo

Queens Park Rangers FC, England

15 (2)

Ryan McGowan

Dundee United, Scotland

13 (0)

Matt McKay

Brisbane Roar, Australia

57 (2)

James Meredith

Bradford City A.F.C. , England

0 (0)

Mark Milligan

Baniyas SC, United Arab Emirates

43 (4)

Aaron Mooy

Melbourne City FC, Australia

9 (4)

Tommy Oar

Ipswich Town FC, England

27 (2)

Josh Risdon

Perth Glory, Australia

0 (0)

Tom Rogic

Celtic FC, Scotland

12 (2)

Mat Ryan (gk)

Valencia CF, Spain

21 (0)

Trent Sainsbury

P.E.C. Zwolle, Netherlands

11 (1)

Matt Spiranovic

Hangzhou Greentown FC, China PR

30 (0)

James Troisi

Al Ittihad FC, Saudi Arabia

24 (4)

Alex Wilkinson

Jeonbuk Hyundai FC, Korea Republic

15 (0)

Bailey Wright

Preston North End, England

6 (1)

FIFA World Cup Qualification: AFC Second Round – Standings

Group B

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

PTS

Jordan

5

4

1

0

12

1

+11

13

Australia

4

3

0

1

10

3

+7

9

Kyrgyzstan

5

2

2

1

8

5

+3

8

Tajikistan

5

0

2

3

4

12

-8

2

Bangladesh

5

0

1

4

2

15

-13

1