Tom Rogic, Aziz Behich and Matthew Leckie have all been named as debutants in Holger Osieck's Qantas Socceroos squad to take on South Korea.
Qantas Socceroos Head Coach Holger Osieck has named a 19-player squad for the upcoming international friendly match against the Korea Republic at the Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong in the Korea Republic on Wednesday 14 November 2012 (kick-off 7:00pm local, 9:00pm AEDT).
Receiving their first call up to the Qantas Socceroos squad are Hyundai A-League players Tom Rogic (Central Coast Mariners) and Aziz Behich (Melbourne Heart) along with overseas-based player Eli Babalj (FK Crvena Zvezda Beograd, Serbia).
Returning to the Qantas Socceroos squad after varying times of absence are Mathew Leckie (FSV Frankfurt 1899, Germany), Mathew Ryan (Central Coast Mariners) and Michael Thwaite (Perth Glory).
Should he take the field against the Korea Republic, Carl Valeri will make his 50th A-International appearance for the Qantas Socceroos.
This will be the twenty fifth match between the Korea Republic and Australia at senior men-s international level after the team-s last met at the Al Gharafa Stadium in Doha, Qatar in the group phase of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 where they played out an enthralling 1-all draw.
The Qantas Socceroos are currently ranked 34th in the FIFA World Rankings whilst the Korea Republic are currently 25th (as of 3 October 2012).
The Qantas Socceroos are currently in second position of Group B with a win against Iraq (2-1), draws against Oman (0-0) and Japan (1-1) and a loss to Jordan (1-2) at the half way point of the final round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The Korea Republic are at the top of Group A with wins against Qatar (4-1) and Lebanon (3-0), a draw against Uzbekistan (2-2) and a loss to Iran (0-1).
Qantas Socceroos Squad for Korea Republic International Friendly - Wednesday 14 November 2012
Eli BABALJ FK Crvena Zvezda Beograd, SERBIA Aziz BEHICH Melbourne Heart FC, AUSTRALIA Alex BROSQUE Al-Ain Club, UAE James HOLLAND FK Austria Vienna, AUSTRIA Mathew LECKIE FSV Frankfurt 1899, GERMANY Ryan McGOWAN Heart of Midlothian FC, SCOTLAND Matthew McKAY Busan I Park, KOREA REPUBLIC Lucas NEILL Al-Wasl Sports Club, UAE Tommy OAR FC Utrecht, NETHERLANDS Tom ROGIC Central Coast Mariners FC, AUSTRALIA Nikita RUKAVYTSYA FSV Mainz 05, GERMANY Mathew Ryan Central Coast Mariners FC, AUSTRALIA - Adam SAROTA FC Utrecht, NETHERLANDS Mark SCHWARZER Fulham FC, ENGLAND Matthew SPIRANOVIC Al Arabi, QATAR Archie THOMPSON Melbourne Victory FC, AUSTRALIA Michael THWAITE Perth Glory FC, AUSTRALIA Carl VALERI U.S. Sassuolo Calcio, ITALY Luke WILKSHIRE FK Dinamo Moscow, RUSSIA
Upcoming Match Details Korea Republic v Qantas Socceroos Wednesday 14 November 2012 Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong, Korea Republic Kick-off: 7.00pm local (9:00pm AEDT)