March 11, 2015 12:15:03 UK
Brisbane Roar defender Luke DeVere is one of the surprise names in Ange Postecoglou’s Australia squad for the two-game trip to Europe later this month.
DeVere re-joined the Roar in January after four years with Gyeongnam FC in South Korea. He played at both U-20 and U-23 levels for Australia during his first spell with Brisbane but has never previously been called up to the senior squad.
Australia will take on 2014 World Cup winners Germany and FYR Macedonia during their European trip, before setting out on their qualification path to the next tournament in June.
This squad rewards the players who did a marvellous job in claiming the Asian Cup.
Ange Postecoglou
DeVere is one of three uncapped players named in the 23-man squad, along with 19-year-old Chris Ikonomidis and Adelaide United’s Tarek Elrich.
Five players who were in the Socceroos squad at January’s Asian Cup have not been included, including Mark Bresciano who has announced his retirement from international football. Sydney FC’s Terry Antonis is set to be named in the Olyroos squad, keeper Eugene Galekovic has been omitted and both Robbie Kruse and Chris Herd are injured.
Postecoglou has called up in-form Reading keeper Adam Federici and Melbourne City midfielder Aaron Mooy. Reading are 1.90 to win their FA Cup sixth-round replay with Bradford City, who are 4.20 to come out on top.
“This squad rewards the players who did a marvellous job in claiming the Asian Cup,” said the coach. “Winning the Asian Cup was a great reward for the hard work the players put in but we have been pretty consistent in our approach that the Asian Cup win is the start of a journey, not the end.”
Postecoglou said of the new call-ups: “We continue to have one eye on the four-year World Cup cycle and these players have an opportunity to show us how they’ll handle the step up to international level.”
Australia beat Germany the last time the teams met, in 2011, and won the only previous game against FYR Macedonia 1-0 in 1997. The Socceroos face Germany in Kaiserslautern on 25th March, before taking on FYR Macedonia in Skopje five days later.
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