Sydney FC midfielder Josh Brillante has earned a call up to the Socceroos 29-man preliminary squad selected by Head Coach Bert van Marwijk for the upcoming friendly clashes against Norway and Colombia.
Sydney FC midfielder Josh Brillante has earned a call up to the Socceroos 29-man preliminary squad selected by Head Coach Bert van Marwijk for the upcoming friendly clashes against Norway and Colombia.
With 100 days to go until the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ kicks off in Russia, twenty-two of the players involved with Australia’s successful FIFA World Cup™ Inter-Confederation play-off against Honduras last November have been selected in the first preliminary squad of van Marwijk’s reign, while seven new or returning players have been added to the Caltex Socceroos mix.
Brillante returns after four years, following his scintilating form for the Sky Blues, to join former Sky Blue team mates Danny Vukovic and Matt Jurman in the national team set up.
Goalkeeper Brad Jones, defender James Meredith, and attacker Jamie Maclaren are among the capped Caltex Socceroos players to be included in van Marwijk’s preliminary squad, while uncapped 22-year-old defender Aleksandar Susnjar could receive his first senior international call-up. Susnjar, who plays for FK Mlada Boleslav in Czech Republic, impressed in the heart of defence for Australia at January’s 2018 AFC U-23 Championship held in China.
“Since my appointment with the Socceroos, my staff, scouts and I have monitored over 100 Australian players in the Hyundai A-League, as well as in leagues across Europe and Asia,” said van Marwijk.
“We are pleased with the initial 29 players we have picked for our upcoming games against Norway and Colombia and will finalise the squad next week.
“There are still a couple of weeks before the group gathers in Oslo, so we will continue to monitor the health and fitness of all the players in the preliminary squad, as well as those on our longer list of potential World Cup squad members.
“Our upcoming matches against Norway and Colombia will provide a great chance for the players selected to press their claims for Russia, however the door remains ajar for all players not picked for the March window,” concluded van Marwijk.
The Caltex Socceroos will convene in Oslo on Monday, 19 March 2018. The squad will take on Norway at the Ullevaal Stadion on Friday, 23 March, before shifting to London on Saturday, 24 March. On Tuesday, 27 March Australia will play Colombia at Craven Cottage in west London. Both friendly matches will be broadcast LIVE on FOX SPORTS and Network Ten.
Caltex Socceroos 29-player preliminary squad for friendlies against Norway (Oslo) & Colombia (London):
|
Name |
Club, Country |
A-International Caps (Goals) |
|
Aziz BEHICH |
Bursaspor, TURKEY |
19 (2) |
|
Joshua BRILLANTE |
Sydney FC, AUSTRALIA |
5 (0) |
|
Tim CAHILL |
Millwall FC, ENGLAND |
104 (50) |
|
Milos DEGENEK |
Yokohama F. Marinos, JAPAN |
15 (0) |
|
Alex GERSBACH |
Racing Club de Lens, FRANCE |
4 (0) |
|
Jackson IRVINE |
Hull City AFC, ENGLAND |
15 (1) |
|
Mile JEDINAK |
Aston Villa FC, ENGLAND |
73 (18) |
|
Brad JONES (Gk) |
Feyenoord Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS |
4 (0) |
|
Tomi JURIC |
FC Luzern, SWITZERLAND |
32 (8) |
|
Matthew JURMAN |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings, KOREA REPUBLIC |
4 (0) |
|
Robbie KRUSE |
VfL Bochum, GERMANY |
60 (5) |
|
Mitchell LANGERAK (Gk) |
Nagoya Grampus, JAPAN |
8 (0) |
|
Mathew LECKIE |
Hertha BSC, GERMANY |
49 (6) |
|
Massimo LUONGO |
Queens Park Rangers FC, ENGLAND |
32 (5) |
|
Jamie MACLAREN |
Hibernian FC, SCOTLAND |
5 (0) |
|
James MEREDITH |
Millwall FC, ENGLAND |
2 (0) |
|
Mark MILLIGAN |
Al Ahli SC, SAUDI ARABIA |
64 (6) |
|
Aaron MOOY |
Huddersfield Town AFC, ENGLAND |
31 (5) |
|
Andrew NABBOUT |
Urawa Red Diamonds, JAPAN |
0 (0) |
|
Dimitri PETRATOS |
Newcastle Jets, AUSTRALIA |
0 (0) |
|
Josh RISDON |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, AUSTRALIA |
5 (0) |
|
Tom ROGIC |
Celtic FC, SCOTLAND |
33 (7) |
|
Nikita RUKAVYTSYA |
Maccabi Haifa FC, ISRAEL |
16 (1) |
|
Mathew RYAN (Gk) |
Brighton & Hove Albion FC, ENGLAND |
41 (0) |
|
Trent SAINSBURY |
Grasshopper Club Zurich, SWITZERLAND |
33 (3) |
|
Aleksandar SUSNJAR |
FK Mlada Boleslav, CZECH REPUBLIC |
0 (0) |
|
James TROISI |
Melbourne Victory, AUSTRALIA |
36 (5) |
|
Daniel VUKOVIC (Gk) |
KRC Genk, BELGIUM |
0 (0) |
|
Bailey WRIGHT |
Bristol City FC, ENGLAND |
21 (1) |
Match Details:
Norway v Caltex Socceroos
Date: Friday, 23 March 2018 (local time)
Venue: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
Kick-off: 6pm (local) / 4am AEDT (Saturday, 24 March 2018)
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network Ten
Colombia v Caltex Socceroos
Date: Tuesday, 27 March 2018 (local time)
Venue: Craven Cottage, London, England
Kick-off: 8pm (local) / 6am AEDT (Wednesday, 28 March 2018)
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network Ten
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