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Hurt Roos doing everything to play: Ryan

3 minute read

Trent Sainsbury and Adam Taggart's determination to get fit for the Socceroos' World Cup play-off against Peru has impressed captain Maty Ryan.

TRENT SAINSBURY of Australia.
TRENT SAINSBURY of Australia. Picture: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Injured Socceroos Trent Sainsbury and Adam Taggart's quest to prove their fitness for the World Cup play-off against Peru is a sign to captain Maty Ryan of the team's commitment to qualify for a fifth straight tournament.

Australia face the world No.22 Peruvians in a winner-take-all clash at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Qatar on Tuesday morning (AEST), with the victor earning a spot in this year's World Cup.

Striker Taggart (thigh) and defender Sainsbury (knee) are both in a race against time to be fit for the game after both missed the 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates.

There were discussions Taggart, who has only just recovered from a long-term knee injury and last played for Australia in October, was set to be sent home due to his condition after the win.

Medical staff however opted to try to get the 29-year-old cleared for selection for the Peru match and he and Sainsbury have been building their workload in training over the past few days.

Neither is a guarantee to even make the bench for arguably Australian football's biggest match since the 2005 play-off against Uruguay but Ryan says their willingness to put their bodies on the line is laudable.

"They're doing absolutely everything that they can to make themselves available," Ryan told AAP.

"Besides that they're really being positive influences around the group, supporting us, encouraging us and all that.

"Either one of them could have headed off on their own direction, because perhaps maybe they thought they weren't going to try push it or whatnot, but I think it's an example of how much this moment right here, right now, means to everyone and we want to do all that we can.

"No-one wants to miss out on it.

"We all want to be here as one big family when we finally achieve that big prize of qualifying for the World Cup."

Australia held a penultimate training session at the match venue on Saturday, with the Peru team flying into Doha on Friday night.

A raucous group of supporters were waiting for Australia's opponents at their hotel, with up to 12,000 Peruvians expected to descend on Qatar.

"When kickoff comes, we go out there and we've got 11 other figures in front of us," Ryan said.

"We just want to win, no matter what.

"We want to do everything we can to win and that's all we tend to focus on."

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