To see the Socceroos' Saturday training session.......

 

However Verbeek refused to announce his line-up at Saturday's pre-match press conference with captain Lucas Neill adding the players had yet to be told whether or not they were playing against Germany on Sunday.

The big question surrounds whether Verbeek will gamble on starting Kewell, who has only played a handful of minutes for Turkish club side Galatasaray this calendar year following a long-running groin problem.

The 31-year-old, now in his fourth World Cup campaign, missed Australia's second-round clash against Italy four years ago due to a foot/toe problem and also missed all three of the Socceroos' warm-up matches ahead of this World Cup against New Zealand, Denmark and the United States.

Emerton, who has only started two of Australia's past 18 matches after missing most of the last EPL season due to a knee injury, has also sat out all of Australia's warm-up games after picking up a calf strain.

But Verbeek insisted both key men were fit to face Germany.

"That is why they are fit and they can play and if I had any doubts I would not put them on the list," he said.

"We have 23 players that are fully fit so it's perfect timing for us and we are looking forward to playing Germany tomorrow."

However while Emerton's natural fitness is expected to ensure he starts in his usual place on the right side of midfield - with Richard Garcia his likely replacement in the starting XI should Verbeek decide not to risk him - there is far more doubt on whether Kewell will be in the starting line-up.

Given his age, long lay-off, injury history and the sheer importance and difficulty of Australia's opening game against the three-time World Cup winners - it would be a major gamble by Verbeek to start Kewell, who would then be forced to play as a lone striker in Verbeek's preferred 4-5-1 line-up.

If Verbeek decides not to use Kewell and leave him on the bench then giant striker Josh Kennedy would play in the lone striker role.

The rest of the Australian starting line-up seemingly picks itself with Mark Schwarzer in goal, a back four of Scott Chipperfield, skipper Neill, Craig Moore and Luke Wilkshire while the five man midfield will be Mark Bresciano on the left and either Emerton or Garcia on the right with Tim Cahill, Vince Grella and Jason Culina in the centre of midfield with either Kewell or Kennedy as the lone striker.

The only other possible inclusion could be Carl Valeri, who could yet replace the more experienced Grella in the centre of the midfield but that remains only an outside bet.

Verbeek joked on Saturday that there would be "many surprises" in his line-up before adding "but not for us because we know what we are going to do."

"I know what my team will be," he said.

"Everyone has seen us play the last two and a half years, we don't have so many secrets."

However Neill added a touch of mystery to the guessing game surrounding the make-up of the Socceroos' team when he said even superstar Tim Cahill had not yet been told he is in the starting line-up.

"No-one in this team knows who is going to play (yet) but our team doesn't rely on one player - it relies on every player playing well and in my opinion that is why I think we are a good team."