Australia to inject fresh legs for World Cup qualifier against Taiwan

Coach Graham Arnold said he would look to pick players who were rested for last week's 3-0 win over Kuwait after arriving late to the squad's camp in the Middle East.

Published : Jun 07, 2021 13:02 IST , MELBOURNE

Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is in line for a recall, with Arnold wanting more clinical finishing from his team.
Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is in line for a recall, with Arnold wanting more clinical finishing from his team.
lightbox-info

Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is in line for a recall, with Arnold wanting more clinical finishing from his team.

Australia coach Graham Arnold will shake up his match-day squad for the World Cup qualifier against Taiwan as the Socceroos looks to continue its unbeaten run on the road to Qatar.

Arnold said he would look to pick players who were rested for last week's 3-0 win over Kuwait after arriving late to the squad's camp in the Middle East.

"We expect a great performance from our boys," Arnold told reporters on Monday.

"We'll freshen the team up and play some players that are fresh and ready to go and add some great energy into the team."

Australia is top of Group B in Asian qualifying on 15 points, five clear of Kuwait and Jordan, ahead of the Taiwan clash, which kicks off at 10pm (1900 GMT) in Kuwait City.

ALSO READ |

Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is in line for a recall, with Arnold wanting more clinical finishing from his team.

"When I watched the game back, we could have been up 6-0 after 39 minutes," he said of the Kuwait game.

"It's about being more ruthless and when you get those chances, I expect the boys to take those chances."

Sydney FC defender Rhyan Grant may also make his first appearance but has competition for the right back position from Fran Karacic, who had a solid debut against Kuwait.

"I think he had an unreal game for his debut," Grant said.

"Having competition for places is huge ... It just goes to show how much depth there is in Australian football at the moment.

"Hopefully everyone gets a chance to show what they can do and really push their name forward and make it hard for Arnie going forward."

Australia thumped Taiwan 7-1 when they last met in October 2019. Winless from six games, Taiwan is already eliminated from qualifying.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment