The dangermen standing in the way of the Socceroos World Cup qualification

One of the best things about World Cup qualification campaigns is the chance to see the stars from elsewhere in competitive action.

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Australian fans will get the opportunity over the coming months as Taiwan, Kuwait, Jordan and Nepal arrive down under. The World Game looks at some of the danger men.

Bader Al Mutawa (Kuwait)

The forward has been around for ages but (relatively) new coach Romeo Jozak has continued to give the 34 year-old more caps. There are various theories as to exactly how many this intelligent attacker has but suffice to say that since making his debut way back in 2003, before Australia was even an Asian football nation, that he is passing the 170 mark.

Such experience is vital in a team that hasn’t played competitive football since 2015 thanks to a FIFA international ban. There is more to offer than mere age however. In May, Al Mutawa was named as the  ‘Golden1’ --the player of the Kuwaiti season. 

There have been a few opportunities for Al Mutawa to try his luck in Europe over the years but the timing wasn’t right and his club Al Qadsia was reluctant to let him go. When the green light was eventually given in 2012, a move to Nottingham Forest stalled due to UK work permit issues. A legend in his homeland, this is Al Mutawa’s last chance to go to the World Cup.

Chen Po-Liang (Taiwan)

A former team-mate of Tim Cahill and Matthew Spiranovic in China, Chen has said that he learnt a lot in terms of professionalism and attitude from the Australians and he intends to use that in the forthcoming games.

Chen has had  a long career in China, holding his own against some big name attacking stars. His experience at a relatively high Asian level is crucial for Taiwan and he is now captain and by some distance the best player. There’s more than that however to this attacking midfielder, who can play high up the pitch (a strike rate of one in three is excellent in what is one of Asia’s weaker national teams) who has long been the focal point of his team’s attacks. 

That may change as new players come through but if any team in Group B wants to stop Taiwan then stopping Chen Po-Liang is a good start.

Rohit Chand (Nepal)

Not many players manage decade long international careers and hardly pass the ten year mark by the time they are 27. Chand has been a rock in the middle for Nepal, breaking up attacks and starting his own for a long time. He does the simple things well but has also done what few Nepalese players do: make a go of it overseas.

There have been stints in India, Malaysia and Indonesia where he currently plays for Persija Jakarta, one of Southeast Asia’s biggest clubs. Big atmospheres and big games are no big deal.

Has been linked with moves to England in the past even if Nepal’s lowly FIFA ranking was always going to make the chances of getting a UK work permit as likely as the Gorkahlis progressing to the next stage. Chand’s legions of fans at home would say however that he would not look out of place in the A-League. He will get a chance to prove it soon.

Saeed Murjan (Jordan)

The armband-wearing figure was last seen in a Kuala Lumpur penalty area on Friday, holding off the challenge of a defender to shoot home smartly from inside the area to score the only goal of Jordan’s warm-up win against Malaysia. The 29 year-old was just doing what he has been doing for the best part of the last decade --leading Al Nashama by example. He came up through the youth ranks to stake a spot in the senior side by the time he was 20.

This powerful midfielder, quiet off the pitch but vocal on it, likes to get forward and is adept at arriving in the area late but can also be found working hard when the opposition have the ball.