AUSTRALIA Fixtures: France (Nov. 22), Tunisia (Nov. 26), Denmark (Nov. 30) STOCK CLIMBING
Cammy Devlin and Keanu Baccus : Neither Devlin nor Baccus have been capped by the Socceroos in a senior international — their only cap arriving in Australia’s final pre-World Cup friendly against New Zealand — but both have parlayed strong seasons in the Scottish top-flight into selection by coach Graham Arnold for Qatar 2022 at the expense of players such as Denis Genreau and Conor Metcalfe , who play at higher levels than the duo but has seen much less of the field in 2022.
Mat Ryan : The surprise omission of Mitch Langerak from the Socceroos’ World Cup squad paves the way for Ryan to serve as the unquestioned number one for Australia in Qatar; back-ups Danny Vukovic and Andrew Redmayne under no illusions as to their place in the pecking order under the current coaching staff.
The Socceroos S&C Staff: Arnold has backed his medical team to ensure that several players with medical clouds hanging over their heads will be able to contribute in Qatar: Nathaniel Atkinson, Fran Karacic , Harry Souttar , Kye Rowles, Ajdin Hrustic , and Martin Boyle all possible starters and all carrying injury and fitness concerns.
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Mitch Langerak : Based on both form and footballing ability, the decision to omit goalkeeper Langerak defied footballing sense and former Socceroo Tommy Oar declared that it was “an absolute wind up” and said it “takes jobs for the boys to a whole new level,” in a tweet that was liked by several former Socceroos.
Only called out of international retirement by Arnold in September, Langerak has seemingly fallen prey to a lack of a relationship with Socceroos’ goalkeeping coach John Crawley, who has an extensive history with Ryan, Redmayne, and Vukovic, and the desire to not potentially challenge the perceived pecking order amongst the keepers union.
Kenny Dougall : While playing plenty of match minutes at a club level has proven a boon for Devlin and Baccus, there was no such luck for Blackpool midfielder Dougall, who was left out of Arnold’s side despite playing 89% of available minutes for the Tangerines in the English Championship.
Trent Sainsbury : For all the heat that Arnold has been placed under for picking or being influenced towards favourites in certain positions, he can’t be accused of nepotism when it comes to Sainsbury: the Socceroos’ boss leaving his own son-in-law out of his final squad of 26.
The announcement of Arnold’s 26-player squad, as well as the vocabulary he has used around it, leaves little doubt as to how Australia are going to go about things in Qatar: 11 “Boxing Kangaroos” (the coach’s new, preferred slogan for his playing group) exhibiting copious amounts of “Aussie DNA” as they look to physically take it to opponents and turn games into a contest of wills that the old-school Australian mindset believes it has an advantage in. Their foes are all more high-credentialled and, certainly in the case of opening opponent France, simply possessing better players, so any moments of footballing endeavour are likely to be delivered on the counter-attack.
Ultimately, even if Australian football has never had that much confidence in its national side’s footballing capabilities, there has never been any doubt about its levels of effort. The question is if that’s enough. — Joey Lynch
– Rogic, Sainsbury miss out on Socceroos squad – Lynch: Squad has coach Arnold’s fingerprints all over it
SENEGAL Fixtures: Netherlands (Nov. 21), Qatar (Nov. 25), Ecuador (Nov. 29) STOCK CLIMBING
Idrissa Gueye : He injured his quad in Everton ‘s previous Premier League fixture, but despite concerns about his World Cup participation, returned to the starting lineup as the Toffees were defeated 3-0 by Bournemouth.
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Sadio Mane : The Bayern Munich players damaging his right fibula is the biggest African storyline — and headache — as the World Cup draws closer, with the continent plunged into an anxious wait on the forward’s fitness. Original prognoses suggested he’ll be out for between three and four weeks, meaning that he could potentially even return for the tail end of the group stage, but he’ll undergo a further MRI scan on Sunday to provide further clarification. Without him, Senegal’s chances of returning to the quarterfinals appear slim.
Abdou Diallo : He is likely to start at centreback alongside Kalidou Koulibaly . Diallo has been named in Aliou Cisse’s 26-man squad, despite missing RB Leipzig ‘s last two matches with a knee injury picked up in the midweek warm-up ahead of the Freiburg game.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Mane’s injury has obviously changed the landscape for Senegal; he’s their talisman, the player whose converted penalty won the country’s first Africa Cup of Nations, and according to the Ballon d’Or voters, is the second best player on the planet. Any side would miss his quality, but the Lions now have to re-focus on preparing for their group-stage campaign without the Bayern Munich superstar. At least the likes of Edouard Mendy, Koulibaly and Gueye are fit and back in action, although Senegal need a Plan B to replicate Mane’s experience in the final third urgently. — Ed Dove
TUNISIA Fixtures: Denmark (Nov. 22), Australia (Nov. 26), France (Nov. 30) STOCK FALLING
Saad Bguir : The Saudi Arabia -based player has been training with the Tunisia squad since November 6 after being named on Jalel Kadri’s list of non-Europe-based players, but was informed on Sunday morning that he won’t be travelling on with the team to Qatar. The exact reasons for the u-turn have not yet been disclosed.
Saifeddine Khaoui : Despite some encouraging showings in Ligue 1 with Clermont, Khaoui was overlooked for the final Carthage Eagles squad. It’s not entirely surprising — the 27-year-old has made just one appearance since the AFCON — but Kadri clearly feels the squad has enough creativity without him.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
There were no major surprise inclusions in Tunisia’s final squad, with the only shock having been confirmed earlier in the month when 38-year-old former captain Aymen Mathlouthi was included for Kadri’s pre-tournament training. He hasn’t featured for the national side for three years, but is one of four goalkeepers included in the squad. All three of the Eagles’ goalkeepers saw action at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but even so, to include four appears excessive! — Ed Dove
MOROCCO Fixtures: Croatia (Nov. 23), Belgium (Nov. 27), Canada (Dec. 1) STOCK CLIMBING
Hakim Ziyech : The Morocco playmaker still hasn’t won over Graham Potter, amidst ongoing rumours of a January exit from Chelsea , but he has at least been getting more playing time as the World Cup looms. He was given a 17-minute cameo in the loss at Newcastle United which, coupled with the 68 minutes he played in defeat by Manchester City in midweek, is the most gametime Ziyech has seen in a week since early September.
Nayef Aguerd : Five months after signing for West Ham United , Aguerd finally made his Premier League debut in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by Leicester City , coming on as an early substitute for Kurt Zouma . He didn’t appear fazed by the intensity of the Prem – despite the Hammers’ troubles – and coped well aerially as well as with the ball at his feet.
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Amine Harit : One of the players returning to the squad under Walid Regragui, he will miss the tournament after sustaining a serious knee injury in action for Marseille against Monaco on Sunday. “It’s by giving it your all that you avoid injuries,” the attacking midfielder said in a press conference before the match. “If you get hurt in the last game, it’s destiny and it was meant to be…”
Zakaria Aboukhlal : The winger, named in the Morocco squad announced last week, sustained a thigh injury in the final Ligue 1 game before the break, as Toulouse were defeated by Stade Rennais . Encouragingly, the 22-year-old has travelled to Doha and will receive further medical assessment to decide what role he can play in the Atlas Lions’ campaign. There is optimism within the camp that, even if Aboukhlal is unlikely to feature in the opener against Croatia , he could play a role in the subsequent matches.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Unlike Senegal or Ghana, Morocco’s injured players aren’t undisputed first-teamers or even pivotal figures for the national side, and while disappointing, won’t transform their prospects in Qatar. Strikers Ayoub El Kaabi and Ryan Mmaee , who contributed a combined 10 goals in qualifying, are both casualties of Walid Regragui’s appointment, and the new head coach appears confident that out-of-sorts Youssef En-Nesyri can spearhead the Atlas Lions’ attacking threat. — Ed Dove
CAMEROON Fixtures: Switzerland (Nov. 24), Serbia (Nov. 28), Brazil (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting : He will be hoping for a Ballon d’Or nomination at this rate, after extending his goalscoring run with Bayern Munich’s second in their 2-0 victory at Schalke 04 . The Qatar-bound striker has now had a hand in 12 goals in his last nine games for the Bavarians in all competitions, a run stretching back to mid-October.
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Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui: He was sensationally axed from Cameroon’s World Cup squad despite being the nation’s standout centreback in recent years. He was an AFCON winner in 2017 and has played in nine of the national side’s 13 matches so far in 2022, representing a rare source of stability within an unconvincing backline. Amidst varying rumours and allegations within the local media, the exact reasons for the 31-year-old’s omission have not been conveyed by Rigobert Song or Samuel Eto’o.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Choupo-Moting’s ongoing form — sustained until the eve of the tournament — gives Song a pleasant problem as it’s increasingly apparent he’ll find it difficult to omit the veteran from his starting XI. However, with Karl Toko Ekambi and Moumi Ngamaleu providing pace and width, Song will have to choose whether to drop AFCON top scorer Vincent Aboubakar or take a man out of the midfield to incorporate the Bayern superstar. — Ed Dove
GHANA Fixtures: Portugal (Nov. 24), South Korea (Nov. 28), Uruguay (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Tariq Lamptey , Daniel -Kofi Kyereh & Salis Abdul Samed : Lamptey and Kyereh both made the Ghana squad despite sitting out fixtures for their clubs in recent weeks, suggesting head coach Otto Addo has faith in their fitness, while uncapped midfielder Samed of Lens could prove to be a valuable — if unexpected — addition to the squad.
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Jojo Wollacott & Richard Ofori : Both Ghana goalkeepers have been ruled out of the World Cup at the last minute. Experienced Ofori has not made Otto Addo’s 26-man squad after sustaining a knee injury during Orlando Pirates’ MTN8 victory over AmaZulu, while Wollacott damaged a finger in the warm-up of Charlton Athletic’s League One meeting with Burton Albion.
“Everyone at the club is bitterly disappointed for Jojo,” said Charlton boss Ben Garner. “He played such an important part in Ghana getting to the World Cup and we all know how much he was looking forward to it. “For the injury to happen so close to the tournament and in such innocuous fashion is very cruel.”
Iddrisu Baba : The Black Stars will also be without their first choice defensive midfielder in Qatar after Baba sustained a muscle injury in Mallorca ‘s midweek victory over Atletico Madrid . Despite an initial prognosis that the 26-year-old would only miss a week of action, he hasn’t been risked by Addo.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Losing two undisputed starters — as well as the would-be deputy goalkeeper — would be a major blow for any nation heading to the World Cup, and the week’s setbacks will have a major impact on Ghana ‘s preparation. Addo must now assess inexperienced back-up goalkeeping options Lawrence Ati-Zigi and Abdul Nurudeen in Thursday’s friendly against Switzerland , as well as examine various potential — yet untested — stand-ins for Baba. The latter’s injury may also heap further pressure on Thomas Partey , whose own fragile fitness will again come under scrutiny.– Ed Dove
JAPAN Fixtures: Germany (Nov. 23), Costa Rica (Nov. 27), Spain (Dec. 1) HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
With the Japan the earliest team to name their squad for the World Cup, there has been little to note with regards to team selection apart from the injured Yuta Nakayama being replaced by Shuto Machino. There are still question marks over the Samurai Blue’s potential lack of firepower up front, even though midfielder Daichi Kamada has been prolific in front of goal so far this season. But with Brighton man Kaoru Mitoma also finding form recently, Japan may be quietly confident in their prospects. — Gabriel Tan
SOUTH KOREA Fixtures: Uruguay (Nov. 24), Ghana (Nov. 28), Portugal (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Lee Kang-In : In the end, Mallorca playmaker Lee Kang-In did get the nod for the World Cup even if he may not have received as much playing time as he would have liked from South Korea coach Paulo Bento in recent warm-up friendlies. Bento has stated that the presence of Lee is not solely for cover in the event injured captain Son Heung-Min fails to prove his fitness, so perhaps the 21-year-old could even feature more prominently.
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Um Won-Sang : Um Won-Sang is one of the more-talented prospects in South Korea at the moment. There is every chance he may follow in the footsteps of many of his compatriots by making the grade in Europe. But for now, he will have to wait for another four years to appear at the World Cup after the 23-year-old was arguably the highest-profile casualty as Bento named his squad for Qatar 2022.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Despite concerns over the availability of Son, who could very well miss their opener against Uruguay on Nov. 24 at the very least, South Korea can lay claim to having a well-balanced roster for the tournament. There is quality in all areas of the park and in spite of the obvious A-grade talent in Son and centre-back Kim Min-Jae , the likes of Hwang Ui-Jo , Hwang Hee-Chan and Hwang In-Beom also belong to the upper echelon of supporting casts. — Gabriel Tan
URUGUAY Fixtures: South Korea (Nov. 24), Portugal (Nov. 28), Ghana (Dec. 2) STOCK CLIMBING
Facundo Torres : The Orlando City player was a suprise inclusion, and both right backs Guillermo Varela and Jose Luis Rodriguez can consider themselves fortunate. Busy winger Agustin Canobbio was also something of a surprise.
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Damian Suarez : The experienced right back had a real chance of starting at right back. But he ran into muscular problems, and with so many defenders nursing injuries, coach Diego Alonso could not take the risk. Former MLS winger Diego Rossi is also unlucky to miss out.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Studying the training sessions to asses the fitness of key defenders such as Diego Godin and Ronald Araujo . Alonso is surely aware that, in a tough group, there is little margin for error. If he can get the balance of his side right, then Uruguay could do some serious damage. If not, a first-round exit beckons. — Tim Vickery
IRAN Fixtures: England (Nov. 21), Wales (Nov. 25), United States (Nov. 29) STOCK CLIMBING
Sardar Azmoun : Having long been Iran’s biggest injury concern, Sardar Azmoun was duly named in Carlos Queiroz’s final squad on Sunday evening — quashing worries that Team Melli might have been without their Bayer Leverkusen star. Queiroz surely would not have picked Azmoun is there was a chance he could miss all three group-stage ties, suggesting a return to the pitch could be imminent for the talented but oft-injured spearhead.
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Omid Ebrahimi : Unfortunately for Omid Ebrahimi, who played such a crucial role for Iran in qualifying with his consistent displays in the heart of midfield, a groin injury sustained in a recent friendly against Nicaragua has cost him his place in the Team Melli squad.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
The possibility that both Taremi and Azmoun could line up together for Iran is a huge boost, even if that might be come to fruition in time for their Group B opener against England. The two Europe-based Iranian marksmen combined should pose problems for any defence. The absence of Ebrahimi is a blow but Iran quite possibly have adequate cover in the likes of Saeid Ezatolahi , Ahmad Nourollahi and even the versatile Ehsan Hajsafi . — Gabriel Tan
SAUDI ARABIA Fixtures: Argentina (Nov. 22), Poland (Nov. 26), Mexico (Nov. 30) STOCK CLIMBING
Haitham Asiri: Still only 21 and with only seven caps to his name, Haitham Asiri was the big surprise in the Saudi Arabia squad for the World Cup. Despite his relative inexperience, the wide attacker has clearly done enough to catch the eye of Green Falcons coach Herve Renard, who ultimately plumped for him ahead of the more-seasoned Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
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Fahad Al-Muwallad : It initially looked as though the worst was over for Fahad Al-Muwallad after his 18-month ban last May for testing positive for a banned substance was reduced and then deemed to have been served sufficiently. But with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealing the decision and a longer ban a possibility, Renard ultimately decided to remove Al-Muwallad as a result.
HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
Given he would have been the joint-highest scorer at Renard’s disposal alongside Salem Al-Dawsari on 17 international goals, not having Al-Muwallad will hurt the Green Falcons but perhaps not as much, given they are likely to be on the back foot against Argentina, Poland and Mexico. — Gabriel Tan
QATAR Fixtures: Ecuador (Nov. 20), Senegal (Nov. 25), Netherlands (Nov. 29) HOW THE COUNTRY ARE LOOKING
The wait is almost over for hosts Qatar to make their World Cup debut. There may be many eager to write them off but the Qataris are the current champions of their continent after winning the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, and even made it to the last four of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021 as an invited team. Whether or not they have what it takes to match it with Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador in Group A remains to be seen but Qatar are more than ready. — Gabriel Tan
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