Kruse, who yesterday penned a three-year deal with German 2.Bundesliga club Fortuna Dusseldorf, is one of four strikers listed in the Socceroos squad following Cahill's withdrawal.

Other forward options are Harry Kewell, who is expected to start, along with youngsters Nikita Rukavytsya and Brent McGrath.

Kruse may be Socceroos coach Holger Osieck's preferred choice after his impressive performances at the 2011 Asian Cup.

The 22-year-old made three appearances in Qatar, scoring one goal, and he told FoxSports he's hoping to become a regular Socceroos starter as veterans like Kewell and Cahill near the end of their careers.

"We are here to put pressure on them." Kruse said. "Obviously they are wonderful players and wonderful servants for football in Australia and have had wonderful careers and still playing at the highest level.

"We can learn a lot off them in camps and hopefully I can one day take over from them.

"I am here to learn and to push them as far as I can in camp and get into that starting team."

Even if Kruse doesn't get a start in Moenchengladbach, he said any opportunity off the bench would be a great chance to impress Socceroos boss Holger Osieck.

"It is a massive chance for all the young players whether it is five minutes or 10 minutes or even longer," he said.

"It is about coming on and making an impact and hopefully if you get a chance you can take it and do something special that people will remember."