Aussies arrive home ahead of must-win clash

A weary Caltex Socceroos squad arrived in Sydney on Saturday morning ahead of one of their most important World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday night.

The national team’s flight was kept on the tarmac for a few hours at Dubai international airport en-route to Sydney from Tehran, after a huge storm grounded a number of flights. 

Australia arrived at their hotel around 11am, delaying the team’s recovery and media duties. 

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But Aussie striker Tomi Juric was confident the delay coupled with the short turnaround ahead of Tuesday night’s clash with United Arab Emirates would not be a problem. 

WELL PREPARED FOR TUESDAY

“It’s part of travelling and we’re here now. My body pulled up well. All the boys are okay, with no injuries.

“We’re ready for Tuesday once we get the sessions done.”

Fellow striker Robbie Kruse added: “It was [the delay] a couple of hours but we get well looked after flying so we were quite comfortable.

“I think it was raining in Dubai. A lot of the boys slept but we get looked after flying wise and medical wise. So no complaints.

“Everyone will recover now and we’ll be ready to go on Tuesday.”

PUBLIC TRAINING SESSION AT FAN DAY

After resting on Saturday, the Caltex Socceroos will train at North Sydney on Sunday as part of a fan day.

Fan day in Sydney for Caltex Socceroos

“It’s going to be a difficult game [Tuesday against UAE],” added Kruse. 

"We win all three of our homes games [in qualification] and that should get us through."

The Caltex Socceroos tackle UAE in a crucial World Cup Qualifier in Sydney on March 28.   Click here for tickets