Cahill and Kewell selected for Australia

Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell have been called up to an extended Australia squad for the World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Brisbane.

Everton's Tim Cahill, centre, and Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa, right, square up to one another following a foul during the recent Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.
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SYDNEY // The Everton midfielder Tim Cahill and the Galatasaray forward Harry Kewell have been called up to an extended Australia squad for the World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Brisbane on Oct 15. Cahill returns after a seven-month international absence with a foot injury, Football Federation Australia said in a statement. Cahill is currently serving a three-match suspension in the English Premier League after being shown a straight red card against Merseyside rivals Liverpool on Saturday.

The former Rangers captain Craig Moore, a key part of Australia's 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany, was named in the squad after coming out of international retirement. The Blackburn midfielder Vince Grella, striker Scott McDonald of Celtic and the Nuremberg centre back Matthew Spiranovic, who missed the previous qualifier against Uzbekistan because of injury, return to the squad coached by the Dutchman Pim Verbeek.

Eugene Galekovic, Robert Cornthwaite, Scott Jamieson and Paul Reid - all members of the Adelaide United squad that qualified for the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League - receive their first Australia call-ups, as did young Sydney striker Shannon Cole. Verbeek will reduce the size of the squad early next week, before the team's assembly in Brisbane on Oct 7. With the top two teams from the group to qualify automatically for the 2010 World Cup, Qatar are currently top of Group A with four points from two games, while Australia have three points from one game.

*AP