Australia will again face the Solomon Island's today in the second-leg of the Oceania Zone World Cup qualifiers final stage. With a first-leg lead of 7-0 the Socceroos will be feeling that they have already booked a place to play the fifth-placed team in South America, for a place in next summers finals.

With a match against, most likely, either Uruguay or Colombia to play for a place in the finals, it will be a great chance for the Socceroo's to play in a rare competitive match together.

The fact that most of the Australian squad play their club football in Europe, makes it extremely difficult for the team to meet up regularly for training. This has been a bone of contention in the past with the Nation's coaching staff, and their players club management, with the Socceroo's coach Guus Hiddink forcing a squad meeting in the Netherlands earlier this year.

But, the Oceania World Cup qualifier second-leg against the Solomon Island's is set to be played in the middle of the day, with the weather forecasting 30 degree-plus temperatures, and with it, no doubt, hotter in the Lawson Tama Stadium, in the Solomon Islands, there are fears for the players health.

Socceroo's midfielder Vince Grella, who plays for Italian club Parma, but is injured and so not partaking in the game, is one of the many who has publicly slammed the scheduling of today’s World Cup qualifier. "I'd like the people from FIFA to go out there in their shirts and ties and play at one o'clock for 90 minutes - when it's going to be 45 degrees or something".

The Socceroos players face the risk of dehydration, and other heat-related health problems, as they play their second, and final, Oceania Zone qualifying play-off against the Solomon Island's, which they currently lead with a seemingly unassailable score of 7-0 from the first-leg, played in Sydney last Saturday.

With the Australian team having recently signed a contract which will entitle them to a 30% share of any profits in the revenue from the matches that they play in from now on. This will mean the overall winner of the two ties, in no doubt, WILL be the Socceroos, will earn a play-off place against the eventual fifth-placed South American team, for a spot at the World Cup finals in Germany.

Australia squad (to be chosen from):
John Aloisi, Marco Bresciano, Tim Cahill, Scott Chipperfield, Jason Culina, Ahmad Elrich, Brett Emerton, 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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