Victorian players Aziz Behich, Jackson Irvine, Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo have all been selected for Graham Arnold's Caltex Socceroos squad for the upcoming matches against South Korea and Lebanon.
Another Victorian, Thomas Deng, has been picked as a train-on along with former Victorian Premier League player Craig Goodwin.
The second 23-player list for the Caltex Socceroos’ international friendly against Lebanon will include Jamshedpur FC attacker Tim Cahill, who will make his 108th and final appearance for Australia in a farewell match against the ‘Cedars’ at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday, 20 November 2018.
Over the course of the September, October, and November FIFA windows, Arnold has called up a total of 39 players. The Hyundai A-League Championship and Premiership winning coach explained that it has been important to include as many players as possible to ensure that the pool is deep when it comes time to select his final squad for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
“We made some great progress in Turkey in September, as well as in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait last month,” Arnold said. “However, this window will be exceptionally important for us as we have only had 15 days to work together as a team on the training pitch. In training, and in our friendlies against Korea Republic and Lebanon, we will be looking to introduce more players to the Socceroos system and reward a number of locally based players for their performances in the Hyundai A-League and FFA Cup.”
“With limited opportunities and matches to prepare for next year’s AFC Asian Cup it is important that we make the most of every day that we have together, and by calling in additional train-on players from Hyundai A-League clubs this will ensure that more players are exposed to our style and standards as we edge towards the tournament.
“Several players who have been in and around the squad over the past 12 months, such as Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, will also be reintroduced to the group as we continue to add depth to the national team player pool,” he said.
Scottish Premier League side Hibernian FC could be represented by as many as three players when Australia takes to the field against Korea Republic in Brisbane, after Martin Boyle received his clearance to represent Australia recently. Boyle will be joined on the journey to Australia this weekend by Hibs teammates Mark Milligan and former Brisbane Roar attacker Jamie Maclaren.
Premier League stars Mathew Ryan and Aaron Mooy will also return to Australia this month after the duo missed Australia’s 4-0 win over Kuwait last month due to minor injuries.
Caltex Socceroos 23-player squad for Australia v Korea Republic – Saturday, 17 November 2018 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
| Name | Club, Country | A-International Caps (Goals) |
| Mustafa AMINI | AGF Aarhus, Denmark | 3 (0) |
| Aziz BEHICH | PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands | 27 (2) |
| Martin BOYLE | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 0 (0) |
| Milos DEGENEK | Red Star Belgrade, Serbia | 18 (0) |
| Alex GERSBACH | Rosenborg BK, Norway | 5 (0) |
| Jackson IRVINE | Hull City AFC, England | 23 (2) |
| James JEGGO | FK Austria Wien, Austria | 0 (0) |
| Tomi JURIC | FC Luzern, Switzerland | 39 (8) |
| Matthew JURMAN | Al-Ittihad Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 4 (0) |
| Robbie KRUSE | VfL Bochum, Germany | 68 (5) |
| Mitchell LANGERAK (Gk) | Nagoya Grampus, Japan | 8 (0) |
| Mathew LECKIE | Hertha BSC, Germany | 57 (8) |
| Massimo LUONGO | Queens Park Rangers FC, England | 37 (5) |
| Awer MABIL | FC Midtjylland, Denmark | 1 (1) |
| Jamie MACLAREN | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 6 (0) |
| Mark MILLIGAN | Hibernian FC, Scotland | 72 (6) |
| Aaron MOOY | Huddersfield Town AFC, England | 37 (5) |
| Andrew NABBOUT | Urawa Red Diamonds, Japan | 6 (1) |
| Josh RISDON | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | 12 (0) |
| Tom ROGIC | Celtic FC, Scotland | 41 (8) |
| Mathew RYAN (Gk) | Brighton & Hove Albion FC, England | 47 (0) |
| Trent SAINSBURY | PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands | 39 (3) |
| Daniel VUKOVIC (Gk) | KRC Genk, Belgium | 2 (0) |
Caltex Socceroos Train-On Players – FIFA Window – November 2018
| Name | Club, Country | A-International Caps (Goals) |
| Thomas DENG | Melbourne Victory, Australia | 1 (0) |
| Craig GOODWIN | Adelaide United, Australia | 3 (0) |
| Rhyan GRANT | Sydney FC, Australia | 0 (0) |
| Dimitri PETRATOS | Newcastle Jets, Australia | 2 (0) |
Note: Tim Cahill (Jamshedpur FC, India) to be included in 23-player squad for Caltex Socceroos v Lebanon (Tuesday, 20 November 2018) when second 23-player list is named on Sunday, 18 November 2018.
Upcoming Caltex Socceroos Matches:
Caltex Socceroos v Korea Republic (International Friendly)
Date: Saturday, 17 November 2018
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
Kick-off: 6.50pm (local); 7.50pm (AEDT)
Tickets: www.socceroos.com.au/tickets
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network TEN
Caltex Socceroos v Lebanon (International Friendly)
Date: Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales
Kick-off: 7.30pm (AEDT)
Tickets: www.socceroos.com.au/tickets
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and Network TEN