Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sydney: Australia finalised a 23-member squad to participate in the Group E qualifiers of the AFC U-22 Championship to be played in Pekanbaru of Indonesia from July 5 to 15.
According to a press release issued by Football Federation Australia, 17 members of the squad have been drawn from the ranks of A-League clubs while two of the players are based overseas playing for English clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers.
“Our recent training camp in Brisbane was very positive and gave us a good indication on the level of the players,” the press release quoted head coach Paul Okon as saying.
“This tournament will be a tough challenge for the boys with five matches to be played in 10 days. Fitness will be a key factor in dealing with the frequency of matches and the hot and humid conditions we will encounter in Indonesia.”
Australia will begin their qualifying campaign against hosts Indonesia on July 5 followed by matches against other Group E rivals in the likes of Macau, Singapore, Timor Leste and Japan.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the AFC U-22 Championship finals to be played in January 2014.