Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has hit back a barbed swipe from Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulović on Monday night aimed at youngster Patrick Yazbeck, who is set to make his debut for Australia on Tuesday night.
Yazbek was born in Sydney but has Lebanese heritage, and was eligible to represent either nation.
But he rebuffed approaches from Radulovic’s Cedars and is now a “more than 90 per cent” chance to make his debut in Canberra’s FIFA World Cup qualifier, according to Arnold.
“He’s Australian first and foremost,” Arnold said of the 21-year-old, who plays in Norway with Viking FK. “It’s the blood and the heart and the passion.
“His mum and dad are from Lebanon, and he’s got that in him as well. But he’s a fantastic kid. He will more than 90 per cent get match minutes tomorrow night and make his debut against Lebanon, I think it’s a great thing for him and his family that they’ll never forget.”
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It came just minutes after Radulovic claimed Yazbek should have chosen to represent Lebanon instead.
“I think it would be better to be one of the leaders in our team than sitting on the bench (for Australia), but this is his decision,” Radulovic said.
“I’m not interested anymore.”
Arnold signalled Yazbek’s likely debut while stating there would be “four or five” changes to the starting XI that beat Lebanon 2-0 on Thursday night in Sydney.
Some of the decisions have been made for him, with left wingers Riley McGree and Jordy Bos both injured in Thursday’s win, while defensive midfielder Keanu Baccus is suspended. All three have left camp early to return to their clubs.
But in a boost to the team, veteran winger Craig Goodwin is fit and ready to start after missing the first match with a virus picked up during the long trip down under from England.
“It was quite frustrating as I started the travel to come over, I started feeling a bit sick and had some symptoms on the plane,” Goodwin said.
“I landed, spoke to the doctor and went and got seen and had a bit of a virus so I had to sit tight to not bring it into the camp and affect more players and affect the games that we’ve got.
“I’m here now and I’m ready to go and looking forward to the game.”
He’s likely to jump straight into the starting side after the injuries to McGree and Bos.
“Hopefully, they’re okay. But hopefully, I can come in and fill that void that’s been left on the left-hand side now,” Goodwin said.
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Ajdin Hrustic’s impressive performance off the bench on his return has the playmaker poised to make a first Socceroos start since September 2022, having subsequently gone through a torrid 18 months marred by injuries and a dramatic exile from former club Hellas Verona in Italy.
Now at Heracles Almeda in the Netherlands – and crucially, back on the field regularly – his return to form is a significant boon for Graham Arnold and the Australian set-up.
Arnold indicated he is likely to persist with a 4-4-2, with in-form Kusini Yengi expected to retain his place as one of the two strikers. Adam Taggart was the other starting centre-forward on Thursday, but competition for places at the head of the attack is fierce, with Arnold naming a full six strikers for this squad.
“It’s about playing the players to their strengths,” Arnold said. “At the moment we’re short for wingers and we’re playing lopsided.”
Besides Yazbek, Central Coast Mariners midfielder Josh Nisbet, 24, could also make his debut off the bench after a standout run in the A-League Mens.
Winger Samuel Silvera will be hoping for a chance to prove himself in the absence of a number of familiar faces in that role, including the injured pair of Martin Boyle and Marco Tilio as well as the fresh injuries to Bos and Goodwin.
Elsewhere, defenders Thomas Deng and Gethin Jones could get a look-in if Arnold looks to rotate his stocks.
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