Popovic: Socceroos Ready to Challenge World Cup Odds

Australia coach Tony Popovic is determined to disprove the World Cup underdog tag, expressing confidence in his team's ability to progress from one of the tournament's toughest groups featuring Turkey, US and Paraguay. The Socceroos will assemble in Florida for pre-tournament preparations, with players joining as their club seasons conclude ahead of the June 1 squad deadline. biznow.biz

Popovic departs for Florida on Wednesday and has already named the first players for training camp, while also revealing a selection lifeline for Qatar 2022 hero Mat Leckie. The Australian coach emphasized his desire to spoil predictions that his team will struggle in their challenging World Cup group.