Socceroos coach Popovic is set to take a cautious approach with key midfield pair Jackson Irvine and Riley McGree in their return to Australia\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
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Irvine, 32, has missed the Socceroos\u2019 previous three camps due to foot and muscle injuries he suffered at his German Bundesliga club St. Pauli.<\/p>\n
England-based McGree has also been affected by injuries, with the 27-year-old Middlesbrough star absent during the September and October international windows.<\/p>\n
Irvine and McGree have only recently returned to club action, with both making gradual progress.<\/p>\n
Despite the pair\u2019s limited minutes, they did enough to be recalled to the Socceroos squad, with Popovic keen to integrate them back into his plans ahead of next year\u2019s FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been good to have them back with their experience (and) their quality that they have,\u201d Popovic said ahead of his side\u2019s clash with the Venezuelans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve missed a lot of minutes, a lot of training time, and it takes a little while to get back to the standards that they expect and where they were prior to their injuries, but it\u2019s great to have them back, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be able to contribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re mindful of not exposing the two of them too much but also very open-minded to playing them in either of these games.\u201d<\/p>\n
McGree said he was \u201cfeeling good\u201d and \u201cfeeling strong\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever capacity I\u2019m involved in here, I\u2019ll put my best foot forward and I\u2019ll support those who are playing, and if I get the opportunity to play, then I\u2019ll be right amongst it and having a good go,\u201d the former A-League star said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some potential debutants and a good mix of young players, some senior players and some players in the middle \u2026 and that\u2019s always important to keep the unity and keep the relationships fresh, and it\u2019s only going to benefit us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s match will the Socceroos\u2019 first since an 11-match unbeaten run under Popovic came to end with a 2-1 loss to the USA in Denver last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on a few things with the ball, but it\u2019s just getting better at identifying the moments, identifying that if someone is pressing us, that we identify where the space is and how we can penetrate a high line,\u201d Popovic said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re playing against a deeper block, then we\u2019re more patient, and we make the right decisions to create those overloads and hurt an opponent in a different way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen (we want) just a little bit more around the front third in terms of our movement into the box to just try to create more fluency in that area.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get a lot of time with the players, so you try to hone in on a couple of areas but (also) try to solidify the things that you\u2019ve been doing well to keep the foundation strong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m confident we\u2019ll see more things added to our game in these two matches.\u201d<\/p>\n
The friendly between Australia and Venezuela gets underway on Saturday at 1.30pm AEDT.<\/p>\n