The Solomon Islands will have to face a full-strength Australia squad in next month's crucial 1st leg game of the Oceania zone play-offs, in the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 qualifiers taking place on the 3rd and 6th of September.

Australia Coach Guus Hiddink has named a 22-man squad of mostly European-based players - including Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, and also from the English Premiership, Everton's Tim Cahill, and Liverpool's Injury ridden Harry Kewell. In fact, only two of the players named play their club football in Australia.

Kewell looks highly unlikely to play, despite being chosen in the squad, having spent the best part of a year out of the Liverpool squad through a string of injuries.

The two-legged play-off kicks off in Sydney, Australia on 3 September, with the second-leg to be played in the Capital of the Solomon Islands Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, three days later.

Dutchman Hiddink knows the importance of the games, and is in no-way underestimating the Solomon Islands.

The team, from the tiny set of South Pacific islands, has come on in leaps and bounds in terms of their football. Having been literally pole-axed by Australia in Sydney in June 1997 13-0, in their most recent meeting, in the qualifiers for this World Cup in June 2004, the Solomon Islands travelled to Adelaide, and managed to draw with the Socceroos 2-2.

"We have picked our strongest squad and all the players are desperate to play, play well and stake their claim for (the next qualifying phase in) November and beyond." Stated Hiddink.

The Solomon Islands will be hoping for either or both their top strikers Commins Menapi and Henry Faarodo, both with 4 goals apiece, to get on the score-sheet in Sydney, and so keep alive their hopes of qualification for the Finals in Germany.

Australia will still be seen as clear favourites to win the two legs of the Oceania play-offs, and so advance to the final stage of play-offs, (home and away), in the final round of qualifiers to be played this November.

The Oceania Zone winner will go on to meet the team to finish in fifth place in the South American Zone to decide the last of the 32 places for next year's FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

Australia squad (from):
John Aloisi, Marco Bresciano, Tim Cahill, Scott Chipperfield, Jason Culina, Ahmad Elrich, Brett Emerton, Vince Grella, Zeljko Kalac, Harry Kewell, Stan Lazaridis, Jon McKain, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Sasho Petrovski, Tony Popovic, Mark Schwarzer, Josip Skoko, Archie Thompson, Tony Vidmar, Mark Viduka, Luke Wilkshire.

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