Socceroos squad announced as four drop out and two come in

The Socceroos squad that will take on Oman and Japan in the upcoming international window has been revealed.  The Oman match should be the last home match to be held abroad after the recent announcement by Football Australia of the probable return of home based Socceroo matches in November.

Socceroos Squad Key Takeaways

• Two new names in the squad: Fran Karačić and Chris Ikonomidis
• Four players not returning from last camp
• Upcoming matches could mark the 50th cap of Tom Rogić
• Rhyan Grant and Chris Ikonomidis are the only Australian based players

Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold has named a 25 player squad for the upcoming qualifiers.  Chris Ikonomidis has been added to the team after being released for international duty from his club Melbourne Victory, while Fran Karačic makes his return after having been previously unavailable due to injury.

Four players were not recalled from the September Socceroos camp: Paul Izzo, Brad Smith, Ryan Strain and Bailey Wright. Melbourne Victory's Ikonomidis and Sydney FC's Rhyan Grant are the only A-League players called up due to current quarantine restrictions upon return. 

Speaking of the current quarantine restrictions Arnold said:

“We are continuing to discuss quarantine options with Government for national team players and staff who return from abroad after representing Australia. As coach, I hope that these exchanges progress positively so that we can consider the selection of more representatives from A-League Men for future squads.”

In an interview with 10 News First, Ikonomidis stated he is hoping that discussions between Football Australia and the Victorian Government will allow him to spend his quarantine at home instead of in a hotel upon his return to Australia.

Arnold also stated with regard's to Ikonomidis' inclusion:

"It is with great gratitude to Melbourne Victory's Tony Popovic and John Didulica at Melbourne Victory and the hunger that Chrissy has about playing for his country.

"He wants to come away.  He is happy to go back after this camp back to Australia and do the fourteen days quarantine.  

"If that is what he has to do, we are still working on that. If he has to do the quarantine we'll get exercise equipment in the hotel to make sure that he keeps his fitness up to return to Melbourne Victory."

Socceroos captain Mat Leckie and striker Jamie Maclaren have ruled themselves out, as they have done in the past, due to the current quarantine restrictions they must undertake upon return from international duty.  

The full squad is as follows: 

If Tom Rogić features in either of the upcoming Oman or Japanese matches, he will receive his 50th Socceroos cap.  The World Cup qualifiers are scheduled as follows:

Matchday 3: Australia v Oman
Date: Thursday, 7 October 2021
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-off: 9.30pm local (5.30am AEDT – Friday, 8 October 2021)
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia on 10 and 10 Play

Matchday 4: Japan v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Venue: Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan
Kick-off: 7.14pm local (9.14pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia on 10 and 10 Play

Following their next two match days Australia are scheduled to continue their Third Round play on 11 November 2021, 16 November 2021, 27 January 2022, 1 February 2022, 24 March 2022 and 29 March 2022.

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For AFC World Cup qualification results and fixtures, check out the AFC website.