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Socceroos Coach Graham Arnold Calls On Football Fans To Give Tim Cahill A Rousing Farewell Against Lebanon At ANZ Stadium

  • Caltex Socceroos Coach Graham Arnold has announced a 23-man squad to represent Australia in AFC Asian Cup warm-up games this month;
  • The great Tim Cahill will wear the gold jersey for the final time when he joins the Socceroos squad to play Lebanon at Stadium Australia on 20 November;
  • This will be the Lebanon national football team’s first match in Australia, and it will be a celebration of football and culture for the vibrant Australian Lebanese community (165,000 in Sydney alone);
  • Return train transport is included in all tickets;
  • Tickets to the Caltex Socceroos v Lebanon here

 

CALTEX Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold has called on football fans to farewell the great Tim Cahill in style when he makes his final appearance in the gold jersey against Lebanon at Stadium Australia on Tuesday 20 November.

Arnold has named a 23-player squad for Australia’s upcoming international friendlies – and confirmed that Cahill will be included in the line-up to take on Lebanon in an AFC Asian Cup warm-up game.

Speaking in Sydney today, Arnold said: “We need to respect our legend Tim Cahill.

“With four World Cups and a record 50 international goals next to his name, he has done a hell of a lot for football in this country.

“The fans need to get out to Stadium Australia to support and say farewell to our legend, because it might be a very long time before we see another Tim Cahill.”

Farewell Tim Cahill here

In total, 27 players will convene in Brisbane from Monday 12 November, with Arnold having rewarded the strong Hyundai A-League form of Thomas Deng (Melbourne Victory), Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC), Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United), and Dimitri Petratos (Newcastle Jets) with places as train-on players for the November window as he continues to cast his eyes over as many players as possible ahead of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

A second 23-player list for the Caltex Socceroos’ international friendly against Lebanon will include Jamshedpur FC attacker Cahill, who will make his 108th and final appearance for Australia in a farewell match against the ‘Cedars’ at Stadium Australia on 20 November.

Over the course of the September, October, and November FIFA windows, Arnold has called up a total of 39 players. The Hyundai A-League Championship and Premiership winning coach explained that it has been important to include as many players as possible to ensure that the pool is deep when it comes time to select his final squad for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

“We made some great progress in Turkey in September, as well as in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait last month,” Arnold said.

“However, this window will be exceptionally important for us as we have only had 15 days to work together as a team on the training pitch.

“In training, and in our friendlies against Korea Republic and Lebanon, we will be looking to introduce more players to the Socceroos system and reward a number of locally based players for their performances in the Hyundai A-League and FFA Cup.

“With limited opportunities and matches to prepare for next year’s AFC Asian Cup it is important that we make the most of every day that we have together, and by calling in additional train-on players from Hyundai A-League clubs this will ensure that more players are exposed to our style and standards as we edge towards the tournament.

“Several players who have been in and around the squad over the past 12 months, such as Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, will also be reintroduced to the group as we continue to add depth to the national team player pool,” he said.

Scottish Premier League side Hibernian FC could be represented by as many as three players, after Martin Boyle received his clearance to represent Australia recently. Boyle will be joined on the journey to Australia this weekend by Hibs teammates Mark Milligan and former Brisbane Roar attacker Jamie Maclaren.

Premier League stars Mathew Ryan and Aaron Mooy will also return to Australia this month after the duo missed Australia’s 4-0 win over Kuwait last month due to minor injuries.

Tickets for the Caltex Socceroos v Lebanon are available here

Caltex Socceroos 23-player squad for Australian AFC Asian Cup warm-up matches:

Name

Club, Country

A-International Caps (Goals)

Mustafa AMINI

AGF Aarhus, Denmark

3 (0)

Aziz BEHICH

PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands

27 (2)

Martin BOYLE

Hibernian FC, Scotland

0 (0)

Tim CAHILL*

Jamshedpur FC, India

107 (50)

Milos DEGENEK

Red Star Belgrade, Serbia

18 (0)

Alex GERSBACH

Rosenborg BK, Norway

5 (0)

Jackson IRVINE

Hull City AFC, England

23 (2)

James JEGGO

FK Austria Wien, Austria

0 (0)

Tomi JURIC

FC Luzern, Switzerland

39 (8)

Matthew JURMAN

Al-Ittihad Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

4 (0)

Robbie KRUSE

VfL Bochum, Germany

68 (5)

Mitchell LANGERAK (Gk)

Nagoya Grampus, Japan

8 (0)

Mathew LECKIE

Hertha BSC, Germany

57 (8)

Massimo LUONGO

Queens Park Rangers FC, England

37 (5)

Awer MABIL

FC Midtjylland, Denmark

1 (1)

Jamie MACLAREN

Hibernian FC, Scotland

6 (0)

Mark MILLIGAN

Hibernian FC, Scotland

72 (6)

Aaron MOOY

Huddersfield Town AFC, England

37 (5)

Andrew NABBOUT

Urawa Red Diamonds, Japan

6 (1)

Josh RISDON

Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia

12 (0)

Tom ROGIC

Celtic FC, Scotland

41 (8)

Mathew RYAN (Gk)

Brighton & Hove Albion FC, England

47 (0)

Trent SAINSBURY

PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands

39 (3)

Daniel VUKOVIC (Gk)

KRC Genk, Belgium

2 (0)


Caltex Socceroos Train-On Players – FIFA Window – November 2018

Name

Club, Country

A-International Caps (Goals)

Thomas DENG

Melbourne Victory, Australia

1 (0)

Craig GOODWIN

Adelaide United, Australia

3 (0)

Rhyan GRANT

Sydney FC, Australia

0 (0)

Dimitri PETRATOS

Newcastle Jets, Australia

2 (0)


Note*:
Tim Cahill to be included in 23-player squad for Caltex Socceroos v Lebanon (Tuesday, 20 November 2018) when second 23-player list is named on Sunday, 18 November 2018.

 

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