Skoko not taking anything for granted

Josip Skoko has played down the thinking that Hiddink showed his likely line-up for the Greece match in a practice game at the morning training session.

Josip Skoko has played down the thinking that Hiddink showed his likely line-up for the Greece match during in a practice game at the morning training session.

Hiddink pitted a strong line-up against the so-called fringe players and three of the four Under 23 players that are training with the squad, which had most media claiming that this would be Hiddink-s starting line-up for Greece.

While Tim Cahill and John Aloisi continued to train separately, they were also joined on the sideline by tall striker Josh Kennedy, who did not train because of soreness around his Achilles.

While acknowledging that it was nice to be part of the so-called first team, Skoko said that Guus is likely to tinker with different combinations in the next few sessions and that nobody can take anything for granted.

“I don-t know,” was Skoko-s response when asked if the formation in the practice game was to be the team that plays against Greece on Thursday night. “Even when we did it before, we would always shuffle, change it around, try different things.

“But it-s always nice to be in there in the first trial (at training). So it-s good.”

“It-s important to play and it-s always nice to play,” Skoko said, when asked if he thought it was important to play in the Greece game to improve his chances of a starting spot in Germany.

“I think everybody will a get a little bit of a run in the next three games and it-s very important for me personally to get some match time after not playing for about 20 days.”

Getting match time could very well be the key for Skoko, for Australia-s midfield stocks have never been greater, a fact not lost on the highly experienced midfielder.

“Yeh, definitely,” he responded when asked if this was the best collection of midfielders in his time with the national team. “I-d have to say, it-s the most skilful, fit, aggressive; we-ve got a great mix. That-s our strength.”

The Socceroos play Greece at the MCG on Thursday night and preceded by the Qantas Matildas, who play Mexico at 4.30pm.