Veteran forward Tim Cahill had been working around the clock to be fit for Friday’s World Cup playoff first leg against Honduras.
Cahill suffered from his ankle injury in Melbourne City’s 1-0 defeat by Sydney FC on Friday. He had to be substituted just 25 minutes into the game.
“I’m definitely not going to promise anything … but this is a massive occasion for us, the chance to make it to a fourth consecutive World Cup, so we’re making a calculated decision,” he told reporters at Melbourne airport, as quoted by Reuters.
Cahill also said he was doing everything within his power to reduce the swelling in his ankle after having undergone an MRI scan early on Saturday morning.
The Socceroos were flying to Honduras on Sunday night ahead of the first leg of the World Cup play-off on 10 November.