Verbeek said that, provided the duo could keep fit over the coming weeks, he would have no doubts about selecting them to take the field against Qatar on October 15.

Cahill, who had been stuck on the sidelines since March with a broken foot, made a return to top-flight football with Everton last weekend.

He headed home the winner in a performance that had Verbeek grinning.

"I'm very pleased that Timmy played already for 80 minutes last Saturday, so let's hope that he will stay fit for the coming weeks," Verbeek said.

"We know how important he can be for us, so hopefully he will be fit and if he is fit, I will select him for sure for the Qatar game."

Grella is a chance to make a comeback with Blackburn this weekend after sustaining a 'strange' calf injury earlier this month while training for the Socceroos in the lead up to their victory over the Netherlands.

"He will not take any risk, it was an injury out of the blue," said Verbeek.

"After one hour of training he was given a ball, he just switched ball from right side to left side and then it happened.

"I think it looks good, from what I've heard he will try and be fit for this weekend.

"He's normally a key player in the midfield for us, hopefully he will be fit this weekend, if not then next weekend, but it looks like he will be ready for the 15 October without any problems."

The one injury cloud that still looms large over the Socceroos is Mark Viduka who is still battling a damaged Achilles tendon.

Verbeek talked grimly when discussing the veteran striker's injury: "(He is) far away from what I've heard, he's not even in the team training.

"He's still struggling, he's out already for months, so that doesn't look good. I think we should forget Mark for the Qatar game."

But with six World Cup qualifiers to follow after the Qatar match, Verbeek talked positively about Viduka's chances to return to the national side.

"I'm very pleased with my strikers, but we don't have a player with the same special qualities like Viduka," he added.

"We have to keep an eye on Mark...at this moment it's not really necessary to speak about it or speak to him, I know what he wants, he knows what I like, qualifying for the World Cup.

"I will look at which players are available for every game, and if I can use him ... we will look at it again next game."

Qatar have taken four points from its two World Cup qualifiers, but Verbeek said it could easily have been six.

"I saw both games and the second game they had a draw, they could have won 5-0," he said. "It was very lucky that they had a draw.

"I think they played very well (in) both games, only in the second game they forgot to score goals."

Australia accounted for Qatar easily in both the home and away legs of the previous stage of qualification, but Verbeek warned his chargers never to underestimate a team like Qatar.

He said: "(They are a) big opponent, what has happened has happened.

"Of course we know we can beat them, of course they know it will be a difficult game for them in Australia."