After Head Coach Graham Arnold announced his latest Subway Socceroos squad for next Thursday's international friendly against Argentina in Beijing, we discuss some of the main talking points to emerge.
Australia and La Albiceleste meet again for the second time in six months and first since the South American giants eliminated the Aussies 2-1 in that Round of 16 clash of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
READ MORE: Exciting Socceroos squad named to face Argentina
The clash provides another opportunity for 'revenge' over the World Champions, but largely the youthful squad will be out to impress Arnold and the coaching staff to stake a claim for selection moving forward.
A number of top youth prospects have also not been called up, with all three junior men's national teams in action this month for respective youth tournaments which you can read about below and on our website.
READ MORE: The Month Ahead: Subway Socceroos, Olyroos, U18's and Joeys' June schedules
Read on to find out more about the squad set to assemble in China in the coming days.
Potential debutants
Two players could be in line to receive their senior international debuts after earning their first call-ups. Highly regarded Parma Calcio 1913 defender Alessandro Circati has enjoyed a strong season with the Serie B outfit. The 19-year-old appeared in 17 matches across all competitions where he played in front of legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and had been on Arnold's radar for some time. But the centre-back, born in Italy, has pledged his allegiance to Australia.
Meanwhile, following a strong campaign with Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover has also been named in the side. The 25-year-old has previously represented Australia at the U-20 and U-23 level, notably at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, playing all three group games which included a famous 2-0 victory over Argentina.
Returning players
Denis Genreau has earned a recall following his recent form with Tolouse FC where he also won the Coupe de France. The 24-year-old, who was last called-up in September 2022 for the friendlies against New Zealand, has four caps to his name.
Meanwhile, Gianni Stensness has been rewarded for his impressive performances with Viking FK in Norway's top-flight. The 24-year-old's most recent call-up to the Subway Socceroos was June last year for the memorable Peru clash.
Melbourne City duo, Mathew Leckie and Jamie Maclaren are both back too having missed the March window through injury, as to is Ajdin Hrustic while defender Joel King also returns.
Players who featured in the previous meeting
Indeed, there are a number of members in the squad who faced the Argentines in Qatar for that last 16 clash back in December. Mathew Ryan, Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Keanu Baccus, Mitchell Duke, Riley McGree and Leckie all started, while Hrustic and Maclaren appeared as substitutes.
Missing players
Due to injury several players will be unavailable for this match including Aziz Behich, Jason Cummings, Miloš Degenek, Craig Goodwin, Jackson Irvine, Aaron Mooy, and Bailey Wright.
Match details
Fans in Australia will be able to watch the Subway Socceroos take on Argentina live and free on Network 10 and live on Paramount+.
Date: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Venue: The Workers’ Stadium, Beijing, China
Time: 8.00pm local / 10.00pm AEST
Broadcast: Live and free on Network 10 and live on Paramount+