Australia is risking playing it's first Asian Cup game, on the 22nd of February, with a team of substitutes, as the Asian Cup matches are not included in the official Fixtures Calendar of FIFA. With many players having obligations with their clubs in Europe and elsewhere Australia will have to do without it's star players.

Guus Hiddink, the Socceroos coach, will be on PSV Eindhoven's bench for their crucial UEFA Champions League match. There are Socceroos players at clubs like Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Everton, and Parma, and these clubs are not obliged to release their players, meaning those who have obligations in their leagues, or in the Champions League are definitely not going to allow players to travel.

What's even more worrying for the Australian football team is that the Australian League's playoffs are taking place on the same day. This leaves Guus Hiddink's right hand man, Graham Arnold, in charge of the team for the first time, and the squad being filled by players whose team does not participate in the A-League playoffs.

Asked by Australian media representatives, the Asian Cup communications director Clare Kenny said, "We haven't received an official request from Australia to postpone the match but even if we do it's unlikely in a World Cup year there would be much scope to change the dates. A final decision would be made when the Asia Cup's organising committee meets on January the third to finalise plans for the draw the next day."

The Socceroos will have to play without Middlesbrough's Mark Schwarzer, Mark Viduka and Tim Cahill, Liverpool FC's Harry Kewell, Parma FC's Marco Bresciano, Sydney FC's Sasho Petrovski, Clint Bolton, David Carney and Mark Milligan, Perth's Simon Colosimo and Newcastle's Jade North and Stuart Musiliak.

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