Cahill warned earlier in the week that he might not make the game and Everton confirmed he's been pulled from the Australia squad with an injury.

He made headlines this week after his athletic overhead bicycle kick to claim a vital equaliser against Chelsea.

But he is now said to have 'a couple of niggles' that will stop him playing for Australia.

"He's a big loss for us because whenever he's played for Australia he's always made a major contribution to the team," 'Roos keeper Mark Schwarzer admitted.

"When you're losing those sort of quality players, it's always a bit of a dampener.

"However, we've got a lot of depth and it gives the opportunity for a lot of players who haven't had the opportunity before to stake their claim."

Celtic ace Scott McDonald was also disappointed at Cahill's late withdrawal, which comes after the Everton star warned he would be playing less for Australia earlier this year.

"You want all your big players here," said McDonald.

"But we've got plenty of quality here to step in and fill the boots, so hopefully we can do that and get the result which matters because everyone's watching at home to see how we perform.

"With any game, whether it's a friendly or not, we always want to do well and show the people in Australia that we're progressing as a team."