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Played
August 15, 2012 8:00 PM BST
Easter Road Stadium — Edinburgh
Referee:‬ T. Hagen‎
Attendance:‬ 11110‎
 
29′ Jordan Rhodes
Mark Bresciano 18′
63′ (OG) Jason Alan Davidson
 
76′ Ross McCormack
 

Scotland - Australia Preview: Levein looks to step up World Cup 2014 preparations

A host of Premier League players look set to feature at Easter Road in a friendly game between the two sides ranked 46th and 23rd, respectively, in Fifa’s latest ranking

By Shane Farrington

More On :  Australia, Scotland, Scotland vs Australia
EURO 2012 Qualifier,Charlie Adam,Scotland v Czech Republic
Getty Images
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

SCOTLAND


McGregor
Hutton, Caldwell, Berra, Fox
Morrison, Adam, Snodgrass
Phillips, Rhodes, Moloney
AUSTRALIA


Schwarzer
Wilkshire, Carney, Williams, Neill
Jedinak, Bresciano, Valeri, Holman
Thompson, McDonald

Craig Levein's initial 24-man squad has been hit by a number of withdrawals including Celtic winger James Forrest (groin) and QPR forward Jamie Mackie (calf). Midfielder Ian Black and strikers Ross McCormack and David Goodwillie have all received late calls-up.

Allan McGregor is likely to take his place in goal with a number of Premier League players set to play in front of him including Gary Caldwell and Alan Hutton. Levein could opt for a five-man midfield with Huddersfield’s Jordan Rhodes given an opportunity to lead the line.

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck has named a 20-man squad for the match at Easter Road. A number of English-based players past-and-present and likely to start including Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill and Brett Holman.

Veteran duo Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill will not be involved in the match - ex-Liverpool man Kewell has been given the match off as he looks to sort out his club future, while Cahill has recently joined New York Red Bulls.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Wigan defender Gary Caldwell is the most-capped player in Scotland's current squad with 48 appearances to his name.
  • Since taking over in 2009, Craig Levein has won nine, drawn three and lost seven of his 19 matches.
  • The two teams last met 12 years ago at Hampden Park, with Australia winning 2-0 thanks to a goal apiece from Brett Emerton and David Zdrilic.
  • Australia still hold the record for the biggest-ever international victory - a 31-0 win over American Samoa during the qualification stages for World Cup 2002 on April 11, 2001.
  • In the same match, Archie Thompson scored 13 times, which is also a record for the amount of goals by a single player in an international match.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Scotland 1-2 Australia
    19.3 %
  • Scotland 0-2 Australia
    15.79 %
  • Scotland 1-1 Australia
    12.28 %
Head to Head
International Friendlies ‎(FR)‎ 15 Aug 2012 Scotland 3 - Australia 1
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
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Last Five Matches
Scotland
7 Jun 2013Croatia 0 - Scotland 1WCQE
26 Mar 2013Serbia 2 - Scotland 0WCQE
22 Mar 2013Scotland 1 - Wales 2WCQE
6 Feb 2013Scotland 1 - Estonia 0FR
14 Nov 2012Luxembourg 1 - Scotland 2FR
Australia
18 Jun 2013Australia 1 - Iraq 0WCQA
11 Jun 2013Australia 4 - Jordan 0WCQA
4 Jun 2013Japan 1 - Australia 1WCQA
26 Mar 2013Australia 2 - Oman 2WCQA
6 Feb 2013Romania 3 - Australia 2FR
Odds
Returns: Scotland £24.00 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £510.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Australia £2010.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Team News
Available Squads
-Allan McGregorGoalkeeper
-Alan HuttonDefender
-Andy WebsterDefender
-Christophe BerraDefender
-Daniel FoxDefender
-Gary CaldwellDefender
-Charlie AdamMidfielder
27James MorrisonMidfielder
23Robert SnodgrassStriker
-Jordan RhodesStriker
-Steven NaismithStriker
21Matthew Gilks Goalkeeper
-Shaun MaloneyStriker
-Ross McCormackStriker
2Russell MartinDefender
2Charles MulgrewDefender
-Ian Black
1Mark SchwarzerGoalkeeper
-David Carney
2Lucas Edward NeillDefender
8Luke WilkshireDefender
-Rhys Williams
6Sasa OgnenovskiDefender
24Brett HolmanMidfielder
-Carl Valeri
23Mark BrescianoMidfielder
20Alex BrosqueDefender
14Robbie KruseStriker
-Scott McDonald
-Adam Federici
15Mile JedinakMidfielder
-Jason Alan Davidson
-Ryan McGowanDefender
7Archie ThompsonStriker
Players to Watch
Jordan Rhodes
Jordan Rhodes
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
1 0 0 0

The Huddersfield Town striker has been strongly linked with a £6million move to Blackburn Rovers. He will be hoping to impress Levein in what is only his second cap for his country. Excellent both inside the box and outside, a strong performance could establish him as a regular starter.

Brett Holman
Brett Holman
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 24
Games Goals YC RC
1 0 0 0

The winger joined Aston Villa over the summer and the club’s fans will be eager to get another chance to see the 28-year-old in action before the Premier League kicks-off at the weekend. With 8 goals in 53 appearances for his country he clearly knows where the net is and will be hoping for another solid showing.

Prediction

Scotland have been hit by a number of absentees but have called up strong players to replace them, while Australia are usually hard to beat. Both sides have included players who will be hoping to grab their chance to impress and the game should be reasonably open.

Editor's Prediction
Scotland 1
Australia 1
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra
Midfielder
Al Faisaly Amman 		4 1
Andreas Cornelius Andreas Cornelius
Striker
FC Copenhagen 		4 1
Fred Fred
Striker
Fluminense 		4 0
Mikael Forssell Mikael Forssell
Striker
HJK Helsinki 		3 1
Clint Dempsey Clint Dempsey
Midfielder
Tottenham 		3 1

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