Comeback kid Circati back in Socceroos squad

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Comeback kid Circati back in Socceroos squad

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has named fit-again defender Alessandro Circati as part of his extended 26-man squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Australia (13 points) sit third in the qualifying group and will round out their campaign against Japan in Perth on Thursday and third-placed Saudi Arabia (10 points) in Jeddah the following Tuesday.

The top two in the group will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and Australia can guarantee their place if they beat Japan.

Classy central defender Circati ruptured his ACL last September, but has made a remarkable return for Serie A club Parma.

A large portion of Popovic’s squad arrived in Perth direct from a training camp in the United Arab Emirates – which featured players free from their respective club duties.

Circati is joined by fellow West Australians, Cameron Burgess (Ipswich Town) and Adam Taggart (Perth Glory).

Riley McGree (Middlesbrough) and Connor Metcalfe (St Pauli) have also been selected, making their long-awaited returns from injury.

Aziz Behich will arrive in Perth fresh from lifting the A-League Men championship trophy, following Melbourne City’s 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory.

Victory defender Kasey Bos, younger brother of injured left-back Jordy, earns his first Socceroos call up.

He is one of six players that will arrive into camp direct from the grand final, including teammates Daniel Arzani and Ryan Teague.

Injuries have scuppered the hopes of Mathew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay while Jackson Irvine was already ruled out.

Paul Okon-Engstler (Benfica) – son of Socceroos great and assistant coach Paul Okon – also earns his first call up to the senior national team, after impressing during his time in Abu Dhabi.

Okon-Engstler was most recently an integral part of Australia’s successful AFC U20 Asian Cup campaign.

But Johnny Warren Medallist Nicolas Milanovic was overlooked, along with Kusini Yengi, while Craig Goodwin and defensive midfielders Nectar Triantis and Max Balard are also missing.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good position within the group to be in control of our destiny,” Popovic said.

“We are ready to embrace this challenge with great respect of our opponents, though full of belief and confidence to achieve our goal of automatic qualification.

“We’ve had the opportunity to work with a large group of these players in a training camp in Abu Dhabi, which has been extremely beneficial both on and off the pitch.”

SOCCEROOS SQUAD:

Daniel Arzani, Aziz Behich, Brandon Borrello, Kasey Bos, Martin Boyle, Cameron Burgess, Anthony Caceres, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Mitchell Duke, Joe Gauci, Jason Geria, Paul Izzo, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Lewis Miller, Paul Okon-Engstler, Aiden O’Neill, Kye Rowles, Mat Ryan, Mohamed Toure, Adam Taggart, Ryan Teague, Marco Tilio, Kai Trewin, Patrick Yazbek.

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