Aussie Players Get Through Weekend Unscathed

With Uruguay now just six days away, it appears as though the Australian players have come through the final weekend unscathed in terms of injuries and form.

With Uruguay now just six days away, it appears as though the Australian players have come through the final weekend unscathed in terms of injuries and form.

Good news for Guus Hiddink is the form of several members of the squad coming into the FIFA World Cup intercontinental play-off, with Brett Emerton (pictured right) producing a piece of magic in steering Blackburn Rovers to a 4-1 win over Charlton Athletic. Emerton scored a cracking goal in just the 2nd minute, while Lucas Neill set up Blackburn-s second goal before showing his versatility across the backline, by shifting to left back after injury forced of his Rovers team mate playing in that position.

Hiddink would have been delighted to see left-sided defender Stan Lazaridis play almost a full game for Birmingham City, despite a 1-0 loss to Newcastle United.

Overnight, Tim Cahill got the better of his Qantas Socceroo team mates Mark Schwarzer and Mark Viduka, as Everton beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at Goodison Park. Cahill played a full game, as did Schwarzer for Middlesbrough, while Viduka, once again had to be content with a place on the bench, coming on in the 54th minute.

Parma pair of Vince Grella and Marco Bresciano will go into the games with some confidence, after a 2-0 win over Lecce, with both playing full games.

Harry Kewell came on and helped Liverpool score two late goals in a 2-0 away win at Aston Villa, while Luke Wilkshire played a full game in Bristol City-s upset 2-0 loss in the FA Cup 1st Round against Notts County.

Jason Culina played 35 second half minutes for PSV Eindhoven; Tony Vidmar had a full game for NAC Breda in a 3-3 draw away at Roda JC; John Aloisi came on in the 71st minute in a 2-1 loss at Celta Vigo, while in Switzerland, both Scott Chipperfield and Ljubo Milicevic played full games for FC Basel and FC Thun respectively and Joel Griffiths came on at half time for Neuchatel Xamax.

Archie Thompson picked up a knock to his heel in Melbourne Victory-s loss to Queensland Roar on Friday night, but he has arrived in Argentina and is confident he can play a part, if required, in the first leg match in Montevideo.

Players who did not see action on the weekend included Ahmad Elrich (Fulham) and Zeljko Kalac (AC Milan), who both remained on their respective benches, while Josip Skoko (Wigan Athletic), Tony Popovic (Crystal Palace) and Michael Thwaite (FC National) were not chosen in their teams squad for the weekend. Ante Covic (Hammarby) is fresh following the conclusion of the Swedish season two weeks ago.