Socceroos coach Tony Popovic hails return of Alessandro Circati amid more injury blows
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic says Perth-raised Serie A centre-back Alessandro Circati's availability for their crunch World Cup qualifiers was a welcome surprise as injuries once again impact squad selection.
The return of the highly-rated Circati might be just what the doctor ordered for Australia as they prepare to face Japan at Optus Stadium on Thursday, with a win putting them on the brink of qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
But after serious injuries already claimed vice-captain Jackson Irvine, centre-back Harry Souttar and rising left-back Jordan Bos, the Socceroos have also lost Craig Goodwin, Nestory Irankunda, Mathew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay closer to camp.
The Socceroos and Japan have landed in Perth ahead of Thursday night's match, with the Australians arriving off the back of a 10-day training camp in Abu Dhabi.
While a win over Japan may not officially seal Australia's qualification for next year's World Cup, it would mean Saudi Arabia, their rival for the final direct spot through to the tournament, would need to put five past the Socceroos the following Tuesday in Jeddah.
Popovic admitted he had not counted on 21-year-old Circati's availability after he tore his ACL last September, but his strong form after a rapid seven month recovery was enough to convince him.
'We didn't expect to have him, so we weren't planning on having him in the squad and we anticipated September would be the earliest moment to have him back,' he said.
'But once he played those two games and he got through it, we saw the opportunity to bring him in.
'We've worked with him for the last few days of the camp in Abu Dhabi, and he looks well. Game-fitness is not quite there, but we're happy to have him and feel he can certainly contribute.'
WA products Adam Taggart and Cameron Burgess have retained their spot in the squad, although Jack Iredale has missed out on a maiden call-up.
World Cup hero Leckie was poised to come into the squad, but battled a hamstring strain and broken nose in Saturday night's A-League grand final which has ruled him out — not that it stopped the Melbourne City star from picking up the Joe Marston Medal for man-of-the-match.
'He was very worthy of winning the man-of-the-match award. I thought he was outstanding in the game, and it's why we had him in the squad — because for big matches, he can provide the experience and quality that you need in big moments,' Popovic said.
More curious for many Socceroos fans was the lack of Nectarios Triantis; the Sunderland midfielder won acclaim on-loan at Hibernian in Scotland, but withdrew from Australia's training camp on its eve amid the Greek national team's reported interest in his services.
'I'm not too sure where it exactly sits. But we had him in the squad for the camp, and on the day that he was supposed to travel, he informed us that he's not coming in,' Popovic said.
'He just said he's got a lot of things on at the moment, a lot on his mind in terms of what he wants to do. We have to respect that, and we'll see what happens.'
Popovic also revealed Goodwin was due to undergo foot surgery which ruled him out of the upcoming two matches, while Bayern Munich's teenage tyro Irankunda had tweaked his hamstring on loan at Grasshopper in Switzerland.
Another who missed out was young attacker Nicholas Milanovic, who won the Johnny Warren Medal for the A-League Men's best player this season, as did midfielder Max Balard who impressed for Dutch Eredivisie side NAC Breda.
'We had (Nicholas) in camp, so there's a great reward for the young man that had a great season in terms of performances, also gets player of the year, gets a move to Aberdeen, comes into his first Socceroos camp,' Popovic said.
'I'm sure he would have taken a lot away from that camp and moving forward, I think he can improve significantly.
'He (Max) is a prospect, and Maxie knows exactly how we feel about him, and I'm sure he'll go away and start the new season full of confidence, and we hope to see him keep improving, and we'll keep monitoring.'
Socceroos vs Japan (Thursday June 5, Optus Stadium, 7pm)
Goalkeepers:
Joe Gauci (Aston Villa) Paul Izzo (Randers) Mat Ryan (RC Lens)
Defenders:
Aziz Behich (Melbourne City) Kasey Bos (Melbourne Victory) Cameron Burgess (Ipswich Town) Alessandro Circati (Parma) Milos Degenek (FK TSC Bačka Topola) Jason Geria (Albirex Niigata) Lewis Miller (Hibernian) Kye Rowles (DC United) Kai Trewin (Melbourne City)
Midfielders:
Anthony Caceres (Sydney FC) Riley McGree (Middlesbrough) Connor Metcalfe (St Pauli) Paul Okon-Engstler (Benfica) Aiden O'Neill (New York Red Bull) Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory) Patrick Yazbek (Nashville SC)
Forwards:
Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) Brandon Borrello (Western Sydney Wanderers) Martin Boyle (Hibernian) Mitch Duke (Machida Zelvia) Mo Toure (Randers) Adam Taggart (Perth Glory) Marco Tilio (Melbourne City)
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