The Australian Socceroos will be forced to make at least two changes for their pivotal World Cup clash with Paraguay due to injuries sustained by key players Mathew Leckie and Jacob Italiano. The team faces Paraguay at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Thursday, with their performance determining their path to the round-of-32.
Leckie, a veteran attacker, suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted during Australia's 2-0 loss to the United States. Right wing-back Italiano sustained an adductor injury during a training session and has been ruled out of the match. Coach Tony Popovic confirmed Italiano's unavailability, stating, "Jacob unfortunately won't be available. I think it's an adductor injury. We don't know the extent of it as yet."
Potential replacements for Italiano include Jason Geria, Aziz Behich, and Kai Trewin. The team's previous match against the United States, which saw them concede two goals, also drew scrutiny over Popovic's decision not to start promising talents Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe. Both players, along with Cristian Volpato, made an impact after coming off the bench.
"Whoever starts tomorrow, I know can build a strong foundation, and whoever comes on can finish what we've started," Popovic said. "So I'm happy with all the players. Each circumstance and situation is very different, and we're very comfortable with the players we chose against the US. I wouldn't change that."
The Socceroos currently sit on three points in Group D. A win or a draw against Paraguay would secure their position in second place, guaranteeing a spot in the knockout stage. A defeat would leave them awaiting the results of other matches to determine if they qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Adding to the pre-match concerns, defenders Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati, and Jordan Bos are all carrying yellow cards. A booking in the upcoming match would result in suspension for the round-of-32. "It's not something that I need to focus on - I'll think about that after the game," Circati commented. "Obviously, you need to play keeping yourself a bit aware of that. But you can't let that affect your match, because I'd rather go past the round and get a yellow card than not pass at all."
Paraguay also has three points, and a victory would see them overtake Australia for second place in the group. "We know it's in our hands and we know what a win does for us tomorrow," Popovic stated.