Socceroos boss Tony Popovic concedes the condition of the Allianz Stadium surface where his side will seek to boost their World Cup qualification hopes next week is far from ideal.
Australia will play Indonesia on Thursday, March 20 in a game which is shaping as critical to their chances of qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America.
Popovic named his squad for the match on Friday and the state of the turf at Allianz Stadium could throw his plans awry as the home side look to cling on to an automatic qualification berth.
The Moore Park venue is shared by Super Rugby’s NSW Waratahs, A-League Men outfit Sydney FC and the NRL’s Sydney Roosters.
Torrential rain in Sydney and heavy traffic has led to the pitch significantly chopping up.
Photos show ground staff have had to lay squares of grass over barren patches at the venue.
In Thursday’s Asian Champions League Two clash, the ball frequently bobbled and several Sydney and Jeonbuk Motors players lost their footing.
The manager of the South Korean side, Gus Poyet, whose side lost 3-2 (5-2 on aggregate), was aghast Sydney had to share the venue with other codes.
“There are two different rugby competitions going on here … I wouldn’t like it if I was a coach of Sydney,” the Uruguayan quipped.
The Sky Blues will also host Wellington Phoenix at the venue in the ALM on Sunday, the game pushed back 24 hours due to their continental commitments.
While Popovic said the surface looked poor on the eye, he is backing ground staff to get the venue in top shape for the international.
“That’s something unfortunately we can’t really control, we have multi-use stadiums here in Australia,” Popovic said.
“If you take out the Thursday game, Sydney would have still played on Saturday night, so that wouldn’t have changed.
“We don’t get a clear run, let’s say of two weeks, to look after a pitch.
“For the Socceroos that would be ideal, but that’s not a situation we’re in.
“On the eye, it doesn’t look the best … We just have to adapt and deal with that.
“I’m sure the people at the stadium will do their very best to make sure that it’s at a level that is good enough for international football.”
Mitch Duke looks dejected after Australia’s elimination from the World Cup. (Photo by David Ramos – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The Socceroos will have just one chance to train on the venue, 24 hours before kick-off against Indonesia.
“We trust the venue and the team managing the pitch,” Football Australia said in a statement.
Popovic has named a radically changed Socceroos squad for this month’s crunch World Cup qualifiers, axing striker Mitchell Duke and handing shock recalls to fullback duo Jason Davidson and Fran Karacic.
Amid a shortage of first-choice defenders, including Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati and Jordy Bos, Popovic has had to delve deep into the Socceroos’ depth chart ahead of next Thursday’s clash with Indonesia in Sydney.
As well as recalling Davidson and Karacic for the first time since 2022, there also potential debuts for Sydney FC centre back Alex Grant and Melbourne City defender Kai Trewin.
Hibernian star Nectar Triantis, who can play in both defence and midfield, is also in line for his first senior appearance alongside Melbourne Victory’s Ryan Teague.
While Davidson and Karacic offer tried and tested options, Popovic has taken his biggest gambles in the frontline.
The decision to axe Duke – one of Australia’s most reliable, industrious and popular team members under Graham Arnold – is questionable, given Popovic has opted to call up Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi, who is just two games back into his return from a three-month lay-off with a knee injury.
There is also no place for Noah Botic, who is arguably the most in-form Australian forward in the A-League Men, and he misses out to Adam Taggart and Brandon Borrello.
Nestory Irankunda has also been snubbed after he was left out of the squad for November’s window.
Popovic has, however, given Daniel Arzani a reprieve after blasting the Melbourne Victory winger for his lack of consistency in January.
Since Popovic put him on notice, Arzani has started just one of his seven games for Victory and has failed to score or register an assist.
Australia face Indonesia on March 20 before heading to meet China on Tuesday, March 25 in Hangzhou.
The Socceroos sit second and occupy an automatic qualification berth in their group of six, but four teams including China and Indonesia are just one point behind them.
SOCCEROOS SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Maty Ryan, Paul Izzo, Tom Glover*
Defenders: Aziz Behich, Cameron Burgess, Jason Davidson, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Alex Grant*, Fran Karacic, Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles, Kai Trewin*.
Midfielders: Anthony Caceres, Jackson Irvine, Aiden O’Neill, Ryan Teague*, Nectar Triantis*.
Attackers: Daniel Arzani, Brandon Borrello, Martin Boyle, Craig Goodwin, Adam Taggart, Marco Tilio, Nishan Velupillay, Kusini Yengi.
*denotes debutant
