Schwarzer doubt for Oceania Nations Cup opener

Australia's first-choice goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is a doubt for this weekend's Oceania zone 2006 World Cup qualifier against New Zealand in Adelaide.

Australia's first-choice goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is a doubt for this weekend's Oceania zone 2006 World Cup qualifier against New Zealand in Adelaide, coach Frank Farina revealed.

The Middlesbrough keeper injured a hip in a collision with teammate Danny Tiatto in the 3-1 loss to Turkey in Sydney last Friday and missed the return 1-0 loss here on Monday.

Farina, who will release his squad Wednesday for the Oceania Nations Cup, which is doubling as a World Cup qualifying tournament, said Schwarzer was no certainty to play against the All Whites.

"He's still very tender and it's a day-by-day proposition but we've got four or five days so we'll see how he goes," Farina said Tuesday.

Schwarzer is expected to be named in the 23-man squad for the Nations Cup, which will include most of the 20-man outfit involved in the Turkey series.

Millwall's FA Cup midfielder Tim Cahill and strikers John Aloisi and Paul Agostino, unavailable for the Turkey series because of club commitments, are expected to come into the squad.

But Tiatto won't be considered as he sustained a fractured jaw in the collision with Schwarzer.

Central defender Tony Popovic, former skipper Paul Okon and Blackburn wing-back Lucas Neill remain unavailable because of club and personal commitments.

A top-two finish in the round-robin Nations Cup will put Australia one step closer to a 2006 World Cup finals berth.

The first and second-placed nations - expected to be Australia and New Zealand - will play off next year with the winner advancing to the World Cup finals playoff against the fifth-placed South American team.

Oceania's top two will also meet later this year for the right to represent the region at the 2005 Confederations Cup.

Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Fiji are the other teams in the Oceania Nations tournament.