Socceroos back in London

The Australian football team, the Socceroos, have another game in London coming up, this one against Denmark next Tuesday 6 February at Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road stadium. They played there back in November last year drawing 1-1 against Ghana.

Australia are currently 39th in the FIFA world rankings and Denmark are 23rd. The Danes didn’t qualify for last summer’s World Cup in Germany but are on course for the next European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland. They’re second in their qualifying group that also includes Sweden and Spain.

Australia play in the finals of the Asian Cup in the summer and have three games in Bangkok in July, against Oman on 8 July, Iraq on 13 July and Thailand on 16 July so even though its a friendly Denmark should give them a good practice game. Tickets cost £15-£25, Shephard’s Bush is the nearest Tube station. I’ll be at the Emirates on the same night to see Brazil play Portugal.

Here’s the Aussie squad coach Graham Arnold has picked for the Denmark game.
John Aloisi (Alaves, Spain), Michael Beauchamp (Nuremburg, Germany), Mark Bresciano (Palermo, Italy), Tim Cahill (Everton, England), Scott Chipperfield (Basel, Switzerland), Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers, England), Vince Grella (Parma, Italy), Ryan Griffiths (AFC Rapid Bucuresti, Romania), Brett Holman (NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands), Patrick Kisnorbo (Leicester City, England), Craig Moore (Newcastle United, England), Lucas Neill (West Ham, England), Michael Petkovic (Sivasspor, Turkey), Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough, England), Josip Skoko (Wigan, England), Mile Sterjovski (Basel, Switzerland), Michael Thwaite (TS Wisla Krakow, Poland), Mark Viduka (Middlesbrough, England), Luke Wilkshire (Twente, Netherlands)