Melbourne Victory playmaker James Troisi has been named in a final 23-man Caltex Socceroos squad for two crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month.
Troisi, who was initially selected in an extended 30-man squad last week, starred with an outstanding performance in Victory’s 4-1 win over Perth Glory at the weekend.
The Caltex Socceroos face Iraq in Tehran on March 23, before a meeting with the UAE in Sydney on March 28.
Troisi will miss Victory’s Round 24 match against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, March 25.
“We’ve come up with a good, strong squad that has a mix of experience, form and players who are playing regular football,” Caltex Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou said.
“We face two important games in five days and it’s good to welcome back some guys who have been out of the squad for different lengths of time for various reasons, and I’m confident the group we’ve selected will be ready to hit the ground running.
“There are a lot of important matches in what shapes as a crucial year for the team, but the focus for us is simply Iraq on Thursday week and then the UAE in Sydney on March 28.”
The team will begin assembling in Tehran on Sunday ahead of next Thursday’s clash with Iraq.
Caltex Socceroos squad: Mustafa AMINI (AGF Aarhus, DENMARK), Aziz BEHICH (Bursaspor, TURKEY), Tim CAHILL (City, AUSTRALIA), Milos DEGENEK (Yokohama F Marinos, JAPAN), Rhyan GRANT (Sydney FC, AUSTRALIA), Jackson IRVINE (Burton Albion FC, ENGLAND), Mile JEDINAK (Aston Villa FC, ENGLAND), James JEGGO (SK Sturm Graz, AUSTRIA), Tomi JURIC (FC Luzern, SWITZERLAND), Robbie KRUSE (Liaoning Whowin FC, CHINA), Mitchell LANGERAK (VfB Stuttgart FC, GERMANY), Mathew LECKIE (FC Ingolstadt 04, GERMANY), Massimo LUONGO (Queens Park Rangers FC, ENGLAND), Riley McGREE (Adelaide United, AUSTRALIA), Mark MILLIGAN (Baniyas FC, UAE), Aaron MOOY (Huddersfield Town AFC, ENGLAND), Mathew RYAN (KRC Genk, BELGIUM), Trent SAINSBURY (FC Internazionale Milano, ITALY), Brad SMITH (AFC Bournemouth, ENGLAND), James TROISI (Melbourne Victory, AUSTRALIA), Daniel VUKOVIC (Sydney FC, AUSTRALIA), Rhys WILLIAMS (Perth Glory, AUSTRALIA), Bailey WRIGHT (Bristol City FC, ENGLAND)
