SOCCEROOS head coach Holger Osieck has named a 22-player squad to face Lebanon in an international friendly before taking on Jordan for the crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier next month.
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is poised to become the first Australian male footballer to play 100 A-International matches should he take the field against either side.
Jason Davidson and Ryan McGowan get a second chance to impress in national team colours after making their senior international debuts against Scotland at Easter Road Stadium earlier this month.
The squad sees the return to national duty of Tim Cahill, Matt McKay, Jade North, Nikita Rukavytsya, Adam Sarota and Matthew Spiranovic - who all missed the recent trip to Scotland.
It's also a long-awaited return for Austrian-based midfielder James Holland who is back in the fold for the first time since March last year when he was called up for the international friendly against Germany in Mönchengladbach.
Melbourne Victory's new signing, Mark Milligan, is serving a one-match suspension for his send- off in the Socceroos last World Cup qualifier against Japan in June and was unavailable for selection.
This will be the first official meeting between the Socceroos and the Lebanon and Jordan national teams at senior men’s level.
The Socceroos are currently ranked 24th in the FIFA World Rankings, some 59 places higher than Jordan (83) and 103 higher than Lebanon (127).
Osieck's men currently sit in third position in Group B with draws against Oman (0-0) and Japan (1-1) in their opening two matches of the final rounds of qualifiers and will be hoping to grab all three points in Amman. But their opponents have plenty to fight for, currently sitting in fifth spot and hoping to bounce back from a 6-0 loss to Japan on match day two.
Both matches will be broadcast live on Fox Sports.
Qantas Socceroos Squad – Lebanon/Jordan – September 2012
Mark Bresciano (Al Gharafa, Qatar), Alex Brosque (Shimizu S-Pulse, Japan),Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls, USA), David Carney (FK Bundyodkor Tashkent, Uzbekistan), Jason Davidson (SC Heracles Almelo, Netherlands), Adam Federici (GK) (Reading FC, England), James Holland (FK Austria Wien, Austria), Brett Holman (Aston Villa FC, England), Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace FC, England), Robbie Kruse, (Fortuna Dusseldorf, Germany), Mitchell Langerak (GK) (B.V. Borussia 09 Dortmund, Germany), Ryan McGowan (Heart of Midlothian FC, Scotland), Matthew McKay (Busan I’Park, Korea Republic), Lucas Neill, (Al Wasl, UAE), Jade North (Consadole Sapporo, Japan), Sasa Ognenovski (Umm Salal SC, Qatar), Nikita Rukavytsya (Hertha Berliner SC, Germany), Adam Sarota (FC Utrecht, Netherlands), Mark Schwarzer (GK) (Fulham FC, England), Matthew Spiranovic (Al Arabi, Qatar), Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory), Luke Wilkshire (FK Dinamo Moscow, Russia)
Lebanon v Qantas Socceroos
Thursday 6 Sept - Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon - Kick-off 8:30pm EEST (3:30am AEST)
2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier
Jordan v Qantas Socceroos
Tuesday 11 Sept - King Abdullah International Stadium, Amman, Jordan - Kick-off 7:00pm EEST (2:00am AEST)
Related Articles

Socceroos midfielder embraces move to England

Cardiff City snap up sought-after Socceroos starlet
