Australia will play Jordan in Amman next Thursday, and Arnold has selected a slightly extended squad for the fixture as Hertha Berlin ace Mathew Leckie awaits the birth of his second child.

Australia’s squad to play Jordan at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman next week features the return to national team action for Scotland-based attacking duo Tom Rogic and Martin Boyle, Western United defender Josh Risdon, experienced defender Trent Sainsbury, 16-cap goalkeeper Adam Federici, as well as emerging Barnsley FC midfielder Kenny Dougall.

Midfielders Mohammed Ridha, Hassan Hamoud and Sherif Abdul Kadhim will be looking to earn their first international caps when Iraq take on Islamic Republic of Iran and Bahrain on November 14 and 19 respectively.

No less than 10 players from domestic champions FC Istiklol feature in head coach Usmon Toshev’s travelling party, which will also meet Malaysia in a friendly on Saturday ahead of their competitive fixtures on November 14 and 19.

In addition to the legion of talent from the league champions - who finished 15 points clear in the title race despite losing their final match 3-2 to CSKA Pamir on Monday – seven players have been called up from overseas clubs.

The 28-year-old forward was in the Jordan squad for their opening tie against Chinese Taipei in September but was dropped for the matches against Kuwait and Nepal last month.

Al Dardour, who scored four goals in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Finals, will be hoping to see some action as Jordan host Australia on November 14 and then Chinese Taipei five days later at Amman International Stadium.

The two rejoin the national team set up ahead of a blockbuster two-week period, which will include a friendly match against Uzbekistan and key home FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Asian Qualifiers' ties against Japan and Tajikistan.

Baimatov’s inclusion is particularly significant given the 29-year-old defender hasn’t appeared for the Akshumkar in over a year after he suffered an injury in the weeks before AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

Korea Republic will play Lebanon in Beirut in a Group H tie, which will be followed by a friendly against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil five days later in Abu Dhabi.

The Socceroos currently top the section with nine points, with the Al Nshama following closely behind on seven, making a victory for Jordan essential if they are to stand a realistic chance of topping the group.

Though Jordan will not be lacking in determination, their fans know that much will depend on the performance of their three forwards: Musa Al Omari, Yaseen al Bakhit, and Baha’ Faisal.

This is especially true of the latter, who plays an important role tactically but knows that his main job is to score goals.