Australia name new-look squad to play Kuwait

SYDNEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) Australia have named a powerful squad of European-based players, including nine World Cup stars, for next week's Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait.

The Socceroos have already booked their place in next year's finals after beating Kuwait 2-0 in Sydney earlier this month, despite fielding an inexperienced squad made up of players from the domestic A-League.

All but two of Australia's World Cup players missed that match because of their European club commitments but coach Graham Arnold's latest 18-man squad is comprised entirely of European-based players.

The squad features nine players who represented Australia at the World Cup in Germany, including striker John Aloisi, first-choice goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and midfielder Jason Culina.

English Premier League players Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill and Lucas Neill were not included but are likely to be added for Australia's double-header in October, when they play Paraguay in a friendly before meeting Bahrain in their last Asian Cup qualifier.

Australia ditched the Oceania confederation last year to join Asia in the quest for more regular competition and tougher opposition.

They were the only Asian team to make it past the first round of this year's World Cup and are the first country to have qualified for next year's Asian Cup, which will be contested by 16 countries in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Australia squad: John Aloisi (Alaves, Spain), Michael Beauchamp (FC Nurnberg, Germany), Jacob Burns (TS Wisla Krakow, Poland), Scott Chipperfield (FC Basel, Switzerland), Ante Covic (Hammarby, Sweden), Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven, Holland), Ahmad Elrich (Fulham, England), Ryan Griffiths (AFC Rapid Bucuresti, Romania), Brett Holman (NEC Nijmegen, Holland), Patrick Kisnorbo (Leicester City, England), Scott McDonald (Motherwell, Scotland), Jonathan McKain (FC Politechnica AEK Timisoara, Romania), Ljubo Milicevic (BSC Young Boys, Switzerland), Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough, England), Josip Skoko (Wigan Athletic, England), Mile Sterjovski (FC Basel, Switzerland), Nick Ward (Queens Park Rangers, England), Luke Wilkshire (FC Twente, Holland) REUTERS PM RAI0904