Cahill off to 4th WC, Aussies squad finalised

Echiejile, Nwankwo make Nigeria team

SYDNEY, June 3, (Agencies): Tim Cahill looks set to play in a fourth World Cup finals at the age of 38 this month after being included in Bert van Marwijk’s final 23-man Australia squad for Russia on Sunday.

The totemic forward made the cut along with 32-yearold defensive midfielder Mark Milligan, who is also included in the Socceroos squad for a fourth successive tournament even if he never got on to the pitch in Germany in 2006.

Croatian-born fullback Fran Karacic, a surprise selection in Van Marwijk’s initial squad who has never been to Australia, Australia-based midfielders Josh Brillante and James Troisi and striker Nikita Rukavytsya were the players omitted.

There was a place for Tomi Juric, who has been struggling with a knee injury, and for the player brought in as late cover for the Luzern striker, Jamie Maclaren.

“Every step of the selection process has been difficult because the players have all given everything to make the final selection,” Van Marwijk said from the team’s training camp in Turkey.

“I believe this group of players can do Australia proud at the world’s biggest football tournament if we continue to work collectively and intensively over the next two weeks and into the competition.”

The Socceroos play one final warm-up match against Hungary in Budapest next weekend before heading to Russia where they meet France in their first Group C match in Kazan on June 16. Squad: Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan (Brighton & Hove Albion, England), Danny Vukovic (Genk, Belgium), Brad Jones (Feyenoord, Netherlands).

Defenders: Aziz Behich (Bursaspor, Turkey), Milos Degenek (Yokohama F. Marinos, Japan), Matthew Jurman (Suwon Bluewings, South Korea), James Meredith (Millwall, England), Josh Risdon (Western Sydney), Trent Sainsbury (Grasshoppers Zurich, Switzerland).

Midfielders: Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa, England), (Brighton & Hove Albion), Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag), Elderson Echiejiole (Cercle Brugge), Brian Idowu (Amkar Perm), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa), Abdullahi Shehu, William Ekong Troost (both Bursaspor).

Midfielders: Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas), John Obi Mikel (Tianjin Teda), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City), Joel Obi (Torino), John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor).

Forwards: Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Victor Moses (Chelsea), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Simeon Nwankwo (Crotone).

Injury-hit Russia named their World Cup 23 on Sunday with their hopes of performing respectably as hosts riding on attacking duo Fyodor Smolov and Artem Dzyuba.

Coach Stanislav Cherchesov has lost Spartak fullback Georgi Dzhikiya, CSKA defender Viktor Vasin and Zenit St Petersburg striker Alexander Kokorin to knee ligament injuries, while Spartak Moscow goalkeeper Alexander Selikhov has ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Krasnodar forward Smolov, the Russian league’s top scorer in 2016-17, who finished second in the league scorers’ chart this year, will spearhead Russia’s attack alongside with Dzyuba, who was loaned from Zenit St Petersburg to Arsenal Tula at the start of January.

One player who seems to have recovered from injuries at the right time is midfielder Denis Cheryshev, who plays for Villarreal in the Spanish Liga. He came as a substitute as Russia lost, 1-0, to Austria in a friendly last Wednesday, and has been included in the 23.

Cherchesov cut Rubin Kazan goalkeeper Soslan Dzhanaev, former German youth internationals Roman Neustadter and Konstantin Rausch, Dynamo Moscow midfielder Alexander Tashaev and CSKA Moscow striker Fyodor Chalov.

Russia have one more warm-up game, against Turkey in Moscow at the CSKA Arena in Moscow on Tuesday.

They kick off the World Cup against Saudi Arabia in Group A at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14 and also face Egypt in St Petersburg on June 19 and Uruguay in Volgograd on June 25. Squad Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Brugge/BEL), Andrey Lunev (Zenit St Petersburg).

Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Fyodor Kudryashov (all Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Andrey Semyonov (Akhmat Grozny), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg), Mario Fernandes, Sergei Ignashevich (both CSKA Moscow).

Midfielders: Yury Gazinsky (Krasnodar), Alan Dzagoev, Alexander Golovin (both CSKA Moscow), Alexander Erokhin, Yury Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev (all Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Zobnin, Alexander Samedov (both Spartak Moscow), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal/ESP).

Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Alexei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fyodor Smolov (Krasnodar).

Nigeria’s Bryan Idowu (left), duels for the ball with England’s Raheem Sterling during a friendly soccer match between England and Nigeria at Wembley

Stadium in London on June 2. (AP)