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Bert van Marwijk makes a few surprise calls with first Socceroos squad

Can Bert van Marwijk get the Socceroos firing? (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Expert
5th March, 2018
47

New Socceroos boss Bert van Marwijk has named his first Socceroos squad, with friendlies against both Norway and Colombia set to be played at the end of the month.

Van Marwijk has named a 29-man preliminary squad for the pair of matches, handing recalls to Brad Jones, Jamie Maclaren and James Meredith.

A serious left-field selection comes in the form of Aleksandar Susnjar, with the uncapped defender currently playing in the Czech Republic first league for FK Teplice.

Of the recalled players, Jones has been out of the Australian system for almost four years. The goalkeeper made his debut in 2007 and only made four appearances, playing just half a match under Ange Postecoglou. Maclaren and Meredith have made five and two appearances in the national colours respectively.

Among the squad is Tim Cahill, who has been finding his feet at Championship club Millwall, as well as regulars like Mile Jedinak, Matthew Leckie, Aaron Mooy and first-choice goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.

Van Marwijk said he and his staff had done lots of scouting and were happy with the squad picked for the friendlies.

“Since my appointment with the Socceroos, my staff, scouts and I have monitored over 100 Australian players in the 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.

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“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.”

The A-League is also represented in the squad with four players picked. James Troisi, Josh Brillante, Dimitri Petratos and Josh Risdon have all been included for the pair of friendlies which shape as key build-up matches for the Socceroos ahead of their World Cup campaign later this year.

Socceroos squad for friendlies
Aziz Behich, Joshua Brillante, Tim Cahill, Milos Degenek, Alex Gersbach, Jackson Irvine, Mile Jedinak, Brad Jones (gk), Tomi Juric, Matthew Jurman, Robbie Kruse, Mitchell Langerak (gk), Mathew Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Jamie Maclaren, James Meredith, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Andrew Nabbout, Dimitri Petratos, Josh Risdon, Tom Rogic, Nikita Rukavytsya, Mathew Ryan (gk), Trent Sainsbury, Aleksandar Susnjar, James Troisi, Daniel Vukovic (gk), Bailey Wright.

Socceroos friendly fixtures
Norway vs Australia, Friday 23 March 2018, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo.
Colombia vs Australia, Tuesday 27 March 2018, Craven Cottage, London.

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