Team profile: Australia
A return to the world stage after 32 years has the island nation in the grip of Cup fever. Expectant Socceroo supporters are demanding a better performance than their debut effort – also in Germany, which failed to yield a single goal.
Published On 4 Jun 2006
FIFA Ranking: 42
Coach: Guus Hiddink
Key players: Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell
World Cup record: Second appearance
Best finish: First round 1974
Qualifying route: Defeated Uruguay in playoff
Key question: Can Guus Hiddink achieve a footballing miracle and take yet another of his side’s to a World Cup semi final?
Squad:
| Goalkeepers | # |
| Mark Schwarzer | 1 |
| Ante Covic | 12 |
| Zeljko Kalac | 18 |
| Defenders | |
| Lucas Neill | 2 |
| Craig Moore | 3 |
| Tony Popovic | 6 |
| Scott Chipperfield | 14 |
| Michael Beauchamp | 16 |
| Mark Milligan | 22 |
| Midfielders | |
| Tim Cahill | 4 |
| Jason Culina | 5 |
| Brett Emerton | 7 |
| Josip Skoko | 8 |
| Stan Lazaridis | 11 |
| Vince Grella | 13 |
| Luke Wilkshire | 20 |
| Mile Sterjovski | 21 |
| Marco Bresciano | 23 |
| Forwards | |
| Mark Viduka | 9 |
| Harry Kewell | 10 |
| John Aloisi | 15 |
| Archie Thompson | 17 |
| Josh Kennedy | 19 |
Group matches:
v Japan, 13:00 GMT, Monday 12th June – Kaiserslautern
v Brazil, 16:00 GMT, Sunday 18th June – Munich
v Croatia, 19:00 GMT, Thursday 22nd June – Stuttgart
Source: Al Jazeera