Four players excused from Korea match

Qantas Socceroos Head Coach Pim Verbeek has made four changes to his squad for the upcoming international friendly match against the Korea Republic in Seoul on Saturday 5 September 2009.

Qantas Socceroos Head Coach Pim Verbeek has made four changes to his squad for the upcoming international friendly match against the Korea Republic in Seoul on Saturday 5 September 2009.

Harry Kewell, David Carney, Luke Wilkshire and Danny Invincibile will now not join the Qantas Socceroos in Seoul.

“Harry (Kewell) played 30 minutes for Galatasaray last night and scored a goal when he came on as a substitute, but his ankle is not 100%. As a result it is not worth the risk of bringing Harry to Korea for the match and it is better that he receives treatment instead,” said Verbeek from the Qantas Socceroos team hotel in Seoul today.

“Also, last week David Carney signed with a new club (FC Twente) in a new country (Netherlands) so it is more important that he settles into his new environment and start playing regular club football again.

“In terms of Luke Wilkshire, he has played plenty of football in the previous two months and unfortunately for Danny Invincibile, he picked up a back injury last week and it was not advisable for him to travel by plane for such a long time as part of his recovery process,” concluded Verbeek.

Saturday-s match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium will be the 23rd encounter between the Korea Republic and Australia, with the Qantas Socceroos holding the advantage of 9 wins to the Koreans 5, with 8 draws between them.

All Qantas Socceroos matches are broadcast live and exclusive on FOX SPORTS. Kick-off is at 9.00pm AEST.