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Antonis and Juric in Socceroos squad

A-League young guns Terry Antonis and Tomi Juric have been included in a 20-man Socceroos squad for upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Saudi Arabia.

Antonis and Juric join uncapped quartet Brad Smith, Chris Herd, Trent Sainsbury and Bailey Wright in a squad which varies markedly from that which Ange Postecoglou took to the World Cup finals in Brazil earlier this year.

Star striker Robbie Kruse is back in the international fold after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Australian skipper Mile Jedinak and goal-scoring ace Tim Cahill have also been included, but experienced midfielder Mark Bresciano is a notable omission.

Postecoglou said Bresciano and experienced target man Josh Kennedy could still be recalled for later friendlies in October and November ahead of the Asian Cup in Australia in January.

Rhys Williams, Curtis Good, Tom Rogic, Matthew Spiranovic, Matt McKay and Ivan Franjic were all unavailable for the games against Belgium and Saudi Arabia due to injury.

“The next series of games for us are really important to broaden the base and depth, so we’re going to be pretty bold in the way we select our squads and give some people an opportunity,” Postecoglou said.

“After the World Cup campaign we had a break and I had a bit of a chance to think about everything that transpired over the last six to eight months, culminating in the World Cup.

“One thing that came out, that was evident to me, is that we need to broaden our base and get some depth in various positions in our squad.

“From our perspective these games are a chance to expose some young players to international football and hopefully create some depth in areas we’re light on.”

Socceroos squad: Terry Antonis, Joshua Brillante, Tim Cahill, Jason Davidson, Ben Halloran, Chris Herd, Mile Jedinak, Tomi Juric, Robbie Kruse, Mitchell Langerak, Matthew Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Mark Milligan, Tommy Oar, Mat Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Brad Smith, Carl Valeri, Alex Wilkinson, Bailey Wright.

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