Socceroos squad: No Cummings as Graham Arnold goes safe for World Cup playoff against UAE | Sporting News Australia

2022-05-28 11:53:31 By : Mr. JiaMing Zhao

Graham Arnold has picked no real surprises in the Socceroos' 29-man squad to face UAE in the World Cup playoff on June 8.

Johnny Warren medallist Jake Brimmer and Central Coast Mariners striker Jason Cummings were tipped to be inclusions after their recent stellar A-League Men's form but both missed the list of players for the Middle East trip, which also includes a friendly against Jordan on June 2.

The green and gold will need to beat the UAE and then Peru in two single one-leg playoffs to secure qualification to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Socceroos World Cup hub: Play-off details, fixtures, results, group standings and latest squad

Despite the surprise exclusions, local stars were still recognised in the squad, with Melbourne Victory's Jason Davidson earning a recall for the first time since 2015, while Craig Goodwin, Jamie Maclaren, Nick D'Agostino were also selected.

Melbourne City wing duo Mathew Leckie and Marco Tilio will feature, while Mariners defender Kye Rowles has been named.

The Socceroos are expected to rely heavily on their international stars including Tom Rogic, Ajdin Hrustic, Mat Ryan, Martin Boyle and Aaron Mooy to snare qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

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The Socceroos will face the United Arab Emirates in the AFC third-place play-off. 

One win from six games saw Australia finish third in their group, while UAE clinched the position after beating South Korea 1-0 in their final regular qualifier. 

The AFC third-place play-off is currently scheduled to take place in Qatar on June 8, 4am (AEST). 

Unlike in 2017 when Australia beat Syria 3-2 on aggregate, all play-offs for the 2022 World Cup will consist of a single leg. 

Whoever wins this match, will then still have one more game to navigate to secure a place in Qatar come November.

The winner of the AFC play-off will then back up one week later against Peru after they finished fifth in CONMEBOL qualifying.  

The South Americans clinched the play-off place after beating Paraguay 2-0 on March 30 which saw them edge out Colombia by a single point. 

Peru faced off against Australia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia where they claimed a 2-0 win.

The inter-continental play-off will also consist of a single leg played in Qatar.