Ange Postecoglou's pursuit of depth for his Socceroo squad will continue on Thursday night when a number of younger players and fresh faces can expect to see action, some for the first time in a Socceroo shirt.
Striker Apostolos Giannou - whom Postecoglou travelled to Greece to persuade that his international future lies with the country where he grew up - is tipped to make a debut, while youngsters Alex Gersbach, Chris Ikonomidis, Jason Geria and Brad Smith will hope to be involved in the World Cup qualifier against Tajikistan at Adelaide Oval.
Postecoglou is looking to build Australia's stocks in the striking and full-back positions in particular, but he has put his entire squad on notice that no one can take their position for granted. 
"I am pleased that there are some youngsters putting their hands up," he said. "Our job is to make sure that door is open always to give them an opportunity ... how rosy the future is for them will be up to them and how they take that opportunity.
"It's up to these young guys now to come in and literally make the position their own. They have got to be that ambitious. There's no point in them just coming in and wanting to be a part of it and happy to be a part of it.
"They have got to come in and say, 'I want to start and I want to be the best in my position that this country has ever seen'. If they have that sort of attitude then the future will be healthy."
Giannou is a tall front man whose best asset is his ability to run the lines and present a mobile target in forward areas. The 26-year-old recently left Greece to move to China, but with Australia's striking stocks still reliant on veteran Tim Cahill, Giannou gets a real opportunity to impress in these two matches, against Tajikistan and Jordan in Sydney next week.
Postecoglou is pleased to regain the services of Robbie Kruse. The German-based wide man arrived in Adelaide on Tuesday night, so the coach may be tempted to give him more rest time and use him fresh in the second of the two matches.
Australia beat the Tajiks 3-0 in Dushanbe last   September, having been kept goalless in the first half on an artificial surface in the Tajik capital. Postecoglou is expecting a similar obstinate display on Thursday night, with the Tajiks defending to try to keep Australia at bay and sneak a point.
"We have to dictate the tempo of the game," Postecoglou said. "We are Asian champions now, it's a target on your back; it would be a great scalp for a country like Tajikistan. They really raise their levels to play against us."
Tajik coach Mubin Ergashev said that securing a draw would be a dream result. He has brought a number of younger players on this trip to give them experience for the future, when Tajikistan's main aim is to qualify for the next Asian Cup.
Ergashev has dropped Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev, the country's most capped player, because he was not deemed fit.
The coach says this game is a wonderful opportunity for his players to try to impress a wider audience. A new sports channel in Tajikistan means that half the country will be watching the game live.
For the players it is a chance to perform in front of Australian agents and A-League clubs and persuade them that they might be worth a contract for next season.