Caltex Socceroos goalkeeper Mitch Langerak and midfielder Massimo Luongo have been ruled out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Thailand on Tuesday 15 November after sustaining foot injuries over the weekend.
Luongo has been replaced by Melbourne City midfielder Luke Brattan while Langerak’s place in the squad has gone to Swansea City shot-stopper Mark Birighitti.
“Mitch and Massimo have foot injuries that have ruled them out of the match against Thailand,” Postecoglou said. “We have called in Luke Brattan and Mark Birighitti and they will join the squad in Bangkok immediately for the week-long training camp and we know they will do the job required.
“Both Mitch and Massimo have been managing injuries and we think it is best they stay with their clubs to help with their recovery over the international break.”
Socceroos medical staff are also awaiting results of scans to decide whether Tomi Juric will be fit to make the trip to Thailand after he was replaced early in his match last night with Apo Giannou on standby.
Birighitti returns to the Caltex Socceroos squad for the first time since the June friendlies against England and Greece and will join Valencia’s Mat Ryan and Bournemouth’s Adam Federici as the goalkeepers in Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
Brattan was a member of the squad for three matches in 2015 but is yet to make his debut for the Caltex Socceroos.
Jamie Maclaren, Nathan Burns, Mark Milligan and Matthew Spiranovic were the first players to arrive into Bangkok on Sunday with the rest of the squad arriving on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Tuesday week’s World Cup Qualifier.
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Match Details
Thailand v Caltex Socceroos
Tuesday 15 November
Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok
7pm kick off (11pm AEDT)
The match will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports and the Nine Network.
Caltex Socceroos squad for 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier v Thailand
| Name | Club, Country | A International Caps (Goals) |
| Mark BIRIGHITTI | Swansea City FC, ENGLAND | 1 (0) |
| Luke BRATTAN | Melbourne City FC, AUSTRALIA | – |
| Nathan BURNS | F.C. Tokyo, JAPAN | 23 (3) |
| Milos DEGENEK | TSV 1860 Munchen, GERMANY | 4 (0) |
| Adam FEDERICI | A.F.C. Bournemouth, ENGLAND | 16 (0) |
| Alex GERSBACH | Rosenborg BK, NORWAY | 2 (0) |
| Craig GOODWIN | Sparta Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS | 3 (0) |
| Jackson IRVINE | Burton Albion FC, ENGLAND | 6 (0) |
| Mile JEDINAK | Aston Villa F.C, ENGLAND | 67 (13) |
| James JEGGO | SK Sturm Graz, AUSTRIA | – |
| Tomi JURIC | FC Luzern, SWITZERLAND | 20 (4) |
| Robbie KRUSE | Bayer 04 Leverkusen, GERMANY | 47 (4) |
| Mathew LECKIE | FC Ingolstadt 04, GERMANY | 36 (3) |
| Jamie MACLAREN | Brisbane Roar FC, AUSTRALIA | 1 (0) |
| Mark MILLIGAN | Baniyas F.C., UAE | 52 (5) |
| Aaron MOOY | Huddersfield Town AFC, ENGLAND | 20 (5) |
| Josh RISDON | Perth Glory, AUSTRALIA | 3 (0) |
| Tommy ROGIC | Celtic FC, SCOTLAND | 22 (5) |
| Mathew RYAN | Valencia CF, SPAIN | 29 (0) |
| Trent SAINSBURY | Jiangsu Suning F.C., CHINA | 20 (3) |
| Brad SMITH | A.F.C. Bournemouth, ENGLAND | 13 (0) |
| Matthew SPIRANOVIC | Hangzhou Greentown F.C., CHINA | 33 (0) |
| Bailey WRIGHT | Preston North End FC, ENGLAND | 12 (1) |
ROAD TO RUSSIA – QUALIFYING PATH
The Final Stage of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) World Cup Qualifying sees Australia placed into Group B alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Iraq and the UAE with the two top sides automatically qualifying for the2018 FIFA World Cup.
The third-placed teams in both AFC Groups will then play each other (home and away) for the opportunity to face the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF (Central and Northern America) in a home and away series for the final place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA World Cup Qualification: AFC Second Round – Group B Standings
| Group B | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
| Saudi Arabia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 10 |
| Australia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 8 |
| Japan | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 7 |
| UAE | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 |
| Iraq | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Thailand | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | -9 | 0 |
