PREDICTED: Van Marwijk’s 23-man Socceroos squad

We’re putting our necks on the line here! With Bert van Marwijk set to announce his Socceroos squad for friendlies against Norway and Colombia this week, here are our predictions (feel free to rip in).

With every Socceroos camp tactically-vital for van Marwijk, don’t expect a lot of surprises in this squad. More than experimenting, these friendlies give the Socceroos boss a chance to drill his best players into a system, which will carry over to the World Cup.

In short, this isn’t just a friendlies squad, this is the real deal.

GOALKEEPERS:

Mat Ryan’s the number one, not exactly controversial huh? He’s arguably our most in-form Socceroo and playing at the highest level. Second choice, however, is a little more left field: Brad Jones.

Despite surviving in the wilderness of Socceroos exile, the Feyenoord keeper is one of the most familiar faces in this squad for the Dutch coach, plying his trade for Eredivisie champions Feyenoord. Van Marwijk’s already sounded him out, so his inclusion seems a shoe-in.

Third choice is Danny Vukovic, who’s solid season at Belgian club Genk – earning two fan’s player of the month awards – will see him included, but as third-fiddle to Jones. Ange Postecoglou may have preferred the former Sydney FC man, but Bert will look a little closer to (his) home.

Mitch Langerak and Adam Federici miss out due to lack of game-time this season, while van Marwijk isn't tipped to take any chances by including a bolter like Paul Izzo.

DEFENCE:

Based on his coaching record, van Marwijk will play four at the back, leaving Aziz Behich (left), Trent Sainsbury, Bailey Wright and Milos Degenek (right) as starters.

Behich’s superb form in Turkey earns him the nod over Alex Gersbach and sight-unseen Brad Smith. Sainsbury’s set-in-stone, while Wright’s form with Championship feel-good story Bristol City means he usurps Matt Jurman.

Degenek’s selection is based as much on desperation as tangible evidence. Although the Socceroo is playing regularly under Postecoglou in Japan, with Ryan McGowan playing as a centreback for Bradford and Josh Risdon and Rhyan Grant’s injury woes, Degenek’s the last man standing.

Ignoring Luke Wilkshere and Michael Zullo due to van Marwijk’s mixed A-League review (“I watched four matches…I saw one good game”), Alex Gersbach and Mark Milligan become backups - Milligan and Wright acting as reserve rightbacks - while Matt Jurman is a more strictly-central reserve.

Smith, Risdon, James Meredith, Rhys Williams, Alex Wilkinson, Aleksandar Susnjar and Callum Elder are others that miss out.

MIDFIELD:

The most clear-cut of the Socceroos positions, Massimo Luongo, Tom Rogic, Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, Jackson Irvine and Brett Holman will be van Marwijk’s central options, with Mat Leckie, Robbie Kruse, Andrew Nabbout and Brandon Borrello the widemen.

Van Marwijk will most likely adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation with the Socceroos. While he employed a 4-3-3 effectively with Saudi Arabia, he used the former to guide the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final and it perfectly suits Australia’s talent.

With this in mind, Jedinak and Mooy become holding midfielders, with Mooy pivoting slightly to utilise his creative and controlling abilities. In front of them, Kruse takes the left wing / attacking midfield position, Rogic in the middle and Leckie on the right.

Jackson Irvine and Massimo Luongo – who earn their place due to excellent Championship form this season – are midfield reserves. Brandon Borrello and Andrew Nabbout are the squad’s bolters, due to phenomenal form and their versatility on either flank.

The number 10 position is the hardest to predict, but essential given Rogic’s injury history. While Daniel Arzani would be a heartwarmer, van Marwijk doesn’t have a strong history of promoting youth, which would be understandable with his short preparation-time.

He also knows Holman very well. The 33-year-old played under van Marwijk at Feyenoord in his early days and against him at N.E.C and AZ Alkmaar, where the Australian greatly impressed.

Van Marwijk also reportedly asked about Holman upon taking the Socceroos job. Combine this with his perfectly-timed return to form and fitness - in addition to Australia’s lack of creative midfielders - and Holman becomes a Steven Bradbury-esque World Cup bolter.

Among the experienced hands, James Troisi, Nikita Rukavytsa, Ben Halloran and James Jeggo don’t make the cut. Meanwhile, bolters Arzani, Chris Ikonomidis, Mustafa Amini, Kenneth Dougall and Riley McGree all miss out, despite playing regularly.

FORWARDS:

Short and sweet: Tomi Juric, Tim Cahill and Golgol Mebrahtu. There’s not a lot else out there, but that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to be excited.

Juric is a certainty – van Marwijk’s already highlighted him as a key figure, citing “strong players, dangerous in the air” as the attacking weapons he’s looking for. This leads us to Tim Cahill, who despite playing less than 120 minutes all season, appears insurmountable.

While it wouldn’t surprise many if Cahill didn't make an appearance - which would leave Jamie Maclaren rightfully angry - he's technically getting game-time at Millwall (three minutes at a time), training at a high level and let’s face it - leaving him out would cause a storm of publicity around the squad that could only act as a distraction.

There’s also the fact that it’s Timmy; he’s great in the air and he rises to big occasions. That, and Maclaren’s form in Scotland is dead-average.

The final spot, although he’s more likely to have an impact than Cahill, is Golgol Mebrahtu, the former Wanderer who plies his trade in the Czech Republic. Although he’s struggled in his last three matches since a recent injury, the physical striker has scored 14 goals in 35 appearances since moving to Europe.

The 27-year-old is at his physical peak, playing regularly and the only Australian with that kind of record. As a result, Mebrahtu earns the final spot on (our) plane to Russia. Imagine saying that two years ago.

Maclaren, Apostolos Giannou, Awer Mabil, Nathan Burns, Bernie Ibini, Scott McDonald and Kwame Yeboah miss out.

To sum it all up, here’s a recap:

Mat Ryan

Brad Jones

Danny Vukovic

DEF

Aziz Behich

Trent Sainsbury

Bailey Wright

Milos Degenek

Alex Gersbach

Matt Jurman