South Africa World Cup 2010 Group D: Australia

GROUP D

Germany Australia Ghana Serbia

Australia

Road to South Africa

Australia steadily improved throughout their maiden 14-match AFC qualifying campaign and were among the first teams to book their place in their second successive World Cup finals way back in June. The Socceroos leaked just four goals in those 14 outings, including a national team record run of seven matches without conceding in the second group phase as they remained unbeaten and finished ahead of Japan by a decisive five points.

Fixtures

Australia Copyright © Soccerphile	Australia Copyright © Soccerphile

Australia v Germany 13 June; Durban
Australia v Ghana 19 June; Rustenburg
Australia v Serbia 23 June; Nelspruit

Analysis

Coach Pim Verbeek has retained many of the players he inherited from countryman Guus Hiddink's 2006 World Cup squad and those seasoned campaigners have largely repaid the Dutchman's faith. However, there will be one glaring omission when Verbeek names his 23-man squad in May, that of Mark Viduka.

Viduka hasn't played for anyone since leaving relegated Middlesbrough at the end of the last Premier League season and turning down the chance to join compatriot Mark Schwarzer at Fulham. The enigmatic former national team captain, 34, has drifted around Croatia and Australia in an unusual state of semi-retirement with Verbeek now drawing a permanent line under his international career after just 43 appearances.

Viduka aside, the Socceroos coach can still call on 31-year-old Harry Kewell, who's enjoyed a welcome renaissance under Frank Rijkaard at club side Galatasaray as well as goalkeeper Schwarzer, defenders Lucas Neill and Craig Moore and midfielders Jason Culina, Mark Bresciano, Vinnie Grella and, of course, Tim Cahill.

But the former Celtic, Leeds United, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough striker's absence in attack has generated Verbeek's greatest conundrum with Celtic's Scott McDonald, subject to a rumoured £5 million bid from Wigan Athletic, dropped from the squad altogether in late 2009 after failing to score in 15 Socceroos appearances.

Key player: Tim Cahill

Everton and Australia fans have one thing in common and that's the fact Tim Cahill is the most important cog in their respective wheels. Cahill, who briefly represented Samoa at under-17 level (his younger brother Chris is the Samoan national team captain) before Fifa allowed him to somewhat controversially switch allegiances back to his homeland, was recently voted into the top 100 world footballers and his tireless box-to-box play is the vital link in Verbeek's 4-2-3-1 formation. He also remains Australia's greatest goal threat, even from midfield.

One to watch: Dario Vidosic

Croatia-born Dario Vidosic has become a Verbeek favourite over the past six months since forcing himself into contention for June's World Cup qualifiers. It is Vidosic's versatility across the midfield and frontline that seems certain to guarantee him a spot on the place to South Africa. Best known as a striker in his junior days, the affable 22-year-old can play just behind a frontman or out wide and is starting to gain regular football at Nuremberg after their promotion back into the Bundesliga at the start of the season.

Coach: Pim Verbeek

Forthright and uncompromising, Pim Verbeek followed in the footsteps of Guus Hiddink (he was assistant to Hiddink with South Korea at the 2002 World Cup and later managed the South Korean national team) when he took charge of the Socceroos in December 2007 and has rarely put a foot wrong on the field, even if he has been accused of opting for an overly pragmatic approach.

Throughout his tenure, the Dutchman has endured a constant balancing act between picking his strongest (albeit aging) side and preparing for the inevitable raft of post-2010 retirements and he's also been a tough critic of the A-League with only one or two locally-based players truly in with a shout of making the final squad. Australia, though, have been the No.1 ranked AFC nation since November 2008.

Record

1974 First Round. 2006 Round of 16

FIFA Ranking

Predictions & Latest Odds

Will be battling with Ghana and Serbia to get out of the group.
World Cup Betting

How they qualified

First place in Asian qualifying group 1.

On the sidelines

Australia's first international was a 3-1 loss to New Zealand.
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Soccerphile says

Unlucky to be knocked out in the second round by Italy in 2006 after qualifying from a group containing Brazil and Croatia, Australia have again been pooled with serious challengers in Germany, Serbia and Ghana and might struggle to emulate the highs of last time around.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Adam Federici (Reading), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough)
Defenders: Lucas Neill (Galatasaray), Craig Moore (unattached), Scott Chipperfield (Basel), David Carney (Twente Enschede), Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow), Mark Milligan (JEF United), Michael Beauchamp (Al-Jazira).
Midfielders: Tim Cahill (Everton), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Vince Grella (Blackburn Rovers), Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers), Jason Culina (Gold Coast), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar), Carl Valeri (Sassuolo), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor), Richard Garcia (Hull City), Dario Vidosic (Nuremberg).
Forwards: Josh Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus), Nikita Rukavytsya (Twente Enschede)

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