English Premier League stars Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill are ready to be unleashed at next month's Asian Cup, Australian coach Graham Arnold said yesterday.
The recovering Merseyside duo will head into the Australian team's training camp in Singapore next week ahead of the Socceroos' July 8 Asian Cup opener against Oman in Bangkok, Arnold said.
Arnold said he spoke with Kewell this week and the Liverpool midfielder was keen to play for his country after overcoming foot and groin problems which have plagued him since last year's World Cup in Germany.
"He's fit, he's ready to go, he can't wait to get into camp in Singapore," Arnold told reporters.
"Everything was very positive. We're in contact with Liverpool all the time about his fitness levels and how we handle the initial part of [his comeback]."
output
Arnold wants to use Kewell behind striker Mark Viduka in a tandem strike force at the Asian Cup to improve the Socceroos' goalscoring output.
Cahill, who missed the last two months of the English Premier League season after breaking a bone in his foot, is also on target to play against Oman.
The attacking Everton midfielder has been recuperating in Sydney, and Arnold confirmed he was progressing well.
"Timmy is running, he's on course to be training fully in Singapore, but I'd say the Singapore game [on June 30] is too early for him," Arnold said.
The Australians are scheduled to arrive in Singapore next Thursday to acclimatize to the hot, humid conditions they will experience in Bangkok for their Asian Cup pool games against Oman, Iraq and Thailand.
Striker John Aloisi is likely to be excused for the first few days of the training camp after only completing his Spanish club commitments with Alaves this weekend.
no break
"He has his last competition game this Sunday for Alaves and he hasn't had a break at all," Arnold said.
"I might give him an extra week before he comes in to freshen him up."
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Hulking Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan on Monday surged away from the pack to win the second stage of the Criterium de Dauphine in Issoire, France, to take the overall lead from Tadej Pogacar. The 1.93m, 87kg Milan had to battle to keep up on a hilly 204.6km run through central France from Premilhat. When the pack hit the home straight, he rocketed away from his rivals to collect a 10-second victory bonus and the yellow jersey. “That was really tough,” Milan said. “I was dropped at one point, and I was really on the limit, but I have to say
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
RSS