Socceroos squad for World Cup qualifiers: Irankunda dropped for Australia side vs. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain | Sporting News Australia

by Admin
November 14, 2024

Wonderkid Nestroy Irankunda has been dropped by Tony Popovic for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The 18-year-old, who is currently playing for German giants Bayern Munich, recently made his debut for the national team, but Western Sydney Wanderers forward Brandon Borrello has been picked over the young star.

It is one of the bigger calls in yet another intriguing squad selection by Popovic, with three players brought in to make their debuts for the national team.

19-year-old Hayden Matthews has been selected at the back, with the young defender only beginning his professional career at Sydney FC last season; he is joined by fellow Sydney midfielder Anthony Caceres.

Max Balard has also been picked in the middle of the park, with the former Central Coast Mariners star currently impressing heavily in the Dutch Eredivisie with NAC Breda; local media have dubbed him the ‘Australian Kante’ after the workhorse French midfielder N’golo Kante.

“We’re in the early stages of this journey as a group and we’ll continue to implement the style of play that will be the foundation of our success throughout this cycle,” Popovic said in a statement.

A slew of returning players also feature, with Kusini Yengi, Milos Degenek and Rhyan Grant all returning to the fold after time away from the Socceroos set up.

MORE: Socceroos World Cup qualifying fixtures, results, standings

Full 26-man Socceroos squad for World Cup qualifiers

Position	Player	Club (Country)	Caps	Goals
Goalkeeper	Maty Ryan	Roma (Italy)	95	0
Goalkeeper	Joe Gauci	Aston Villa (England)	5	0
Goalkeeper	Paul Izzo	Randers (Denmark)	0	0
Defender	Aziz Behich	Melbourne City	76	2
Defender	Jordy Bos	Westerlo (Belgium)	18	1
Defender	Cameron Burgess	Ipswich Town (England)	12	0
Defender	Milos Degenek	Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)	45	1
Defender	Jason Geria	Melbourne Victory	4	0
Defender	Rhyan Grant	Sydney FC	21	1
Defender	Hayden Matthews	Sydney FC	0	0
Defender	Lewis Miller	Hibernian (Scotland)	9	1
Defender	Kye Rowles	Hearts (Scotland)	24	1
Defender	Harry Souttar	Sheffield United (England)	35	11
Midfielder	Max Balard	NAC Breda (Netherlands)	0	0
Midfielder	Anthony Caceres	Sydney FC	1	0
Midfielder	Ajdin Hrustic	Salernitana (Italy)	30	3
Midfielder	Jackson Irvine	St Pauli (Germany)	75	11
Midfielder	Riley McGree	Middlesbrough (England)	28	1
Midfielder	Aiden O’Neill	Standard Liege (Belgium)	16	0
Midfielder	Patrick Yazbek	Nashville SC (USA)	2	0
Forward	Brandon Borrello	Western Sydney Wanderers	12	2
Forward	Martin Boyle	Hibernian (Scotland)	30	9
Forward	Mitch Duke	Machida Zelvia (Japan)	45	12
Forward	Craig Goodwin	Al Wehda (Saudi Arabia)	29	6
Forward	Nishan Velupillay	Melbourne Victory	3	1
Forward	Kusini Yengi	Portsmouth (England)	10	4