It's Syrian business!
TOWN MIDFIELDER STAR AARON MOOY FACES WORLD CUP PLAY-OFF
HUDDERSFIELD Town midfielder Aaron Mooy has been called up to the Australia squad to take on Syria in a World Cup qualifying double header next month.
The Socceroos take on Syria in the two-legged Asian qualifying play-off in October, with the winner going on to face CONCACAF’s fourth-placed side in the final hurdle ahead of next year’s tournament in Russia.
Australia have never played Syria previously, but finished the third round stage of qualifying with more points and a better goal difference in their respective group.
Mooy and his teammates now face two matches over the international break, first taking on Syria in Melaka, Malaysia on October 5 (1pm KO) in the ‘away’ leg, before returning to Sydney on October 10 (10am KO) for the home tie.
The midfielder with therefore be expected in Malaysia on October 1 before heading back to his homeland on October 6.
Australia squad: Mat Ryan, Mitchell Langerak, Danny Vukovic; Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, Mathew Jurman, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Brad Smith, Bailey Wright; Mustafa Amini, Craig Goodwin, Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Tom Rogic, James Troisi; Tim Cahill, Tomi Juric, Robbie Kruse, Mathew Leckie, Nikita Rukavytsya.
Huddersfield Town will be looking to end Tottenham Hotspur’s second-longest away winning streak when Mauricio Pochettino’s side visit the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday.
Spurs have claimed victory in their last six matches on the road, claiming 15 Premier League and three Champions League points in the process.
The run started in May with a 6-1 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, with a 7-1 win over Hull City bringing the 2016/17 season to an end for Spurs.
Victories away at Newcastle United, Everton and West Ham in the Premier League this season
have stretched Tottenham’s streak to five matches, and last night’s 3-0 win over APOEL in Europe made it six triumphs in a row for Pochettino’s man on the road.
Only a 10-match away winning streak in 1960 eclipses Tottenham’s current run, with Bill Nicholson’s Spurs going on to claim the league and FA Cup double in 1960/61.
That run was ended by a Yorkshire side, with Sheffield Wednesday beating the table-toppers 2-1 at Hillsborough.
Tottenham’s last defeat away from home came at the London Stadium on May 5 when a Manuel Lanzini goal sealed the points for West Ham.
If Town are to end Spurs’ impressive away form, they will have to do something which hasn’t been done since 2012.
Spurs haven’t lost to a newlypromoted side since Queens Park Rangers beat them at Loftus Road in April 2012, with the Lilywhites drawing just two matches of the 31 played against promoted teams in that time frame.
But we all know how David Wagner and his Town underdogs like to prove the stats wrong.
Centre-backs Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka will both be missing once again when Everton host Apollon Limassol tonight in the Europa League’s Group E clash.
Keane (foot) and Jagielka (hamstring) remain unavailable after sitting out Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth, but Wayne Rooney, who was left with a cut above his left eye and a bloodied face having been caught by Simon Francis’ arm in that game, is fit to feature.
James McCarthy (knee) is not yet ready to make his return to action, while Oumar Niasse, scorer of three goals in the last two matches, is unable to play on Thursday as he was not included in Everton’s squad for the Europa League group stage.