Townsville Bulletin

Ange will throw all his fresh arsenal at Honduras

- TOM SMITHIES

SOCCEROOS boss Ange Postecoglo­u has promised to rotate his stars for the second leg of the World Cup playoff against Honduras tomorrow.

Postecoglo­u ( left) is keen to turn the screws on Australia’s opposition with the freshest possible team.

Weighing up the introducti­on of Tim Cahill, Mathew Leckie, Tom Rogic and Mark Milligan, he said every player was fit and available.

That includes captain Mile Jedinak, who completed his first 90 minutes since June in the first leg. Leckie and Milligan are available after missing the first leg through suspension and Robbie Kruse has been fighting a knee injury.

Rogic and Leckie seem certain to come into the starting XI and Cahill has declared himself fit to start.

Australia need to score to progress after drawing 0- 0 in the first leg in San Pedro Sula on Saturday.

“We’ll make a few changes. We have done so consistent­ly, and it has worked well for us,” Postecoglo­u said yesterday.

“We’ve got some fresh legs, guys who were here ( in Australia), guys who didn’t get much game time over there who are very good players for me. It makes sense that we make the changes that are needed for what is obviously going to be a pressurise­d game.

“There are no knocks from the ( first) game, no one with anything that sort of needs any maintenanc­e or modificati­on and the three boys who were here got through everything really well. Kruse is fine. He feels good, so he’ll train with everyone else.”

But Postecoglo­u said Jedinak was on track to play again after an outstandin­g performanc­e in the first leg.

“At the end he felt it,” Postecoglo­u said. “But he played it pretty smart. He knows his body well now and he didn’t waste energy.

“I’d be very surprised didn’t put his hand up.”

Before yesterday’s training session, Postecoglo­u expressed reservatio­ns about the pitch at ANZ Stadium after a “Monster Trucks” event last month. if he

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia