Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold today added Cyprus-based striker Apostolos Giannou to his 23-player squad for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™.

Giannou’s addition to the squad comes following news that attacker Martin Boyle will miss the tournament due to a knee injury.

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While Giannou’s registration process was completed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday, the AEK Larnaca attacker arrived in Al Ain early on Thursday morning (local time) and has since completed a medical with Socceroos staff and finalised his place in the squad.

Arnold said Giannou, who scored his first goal for Australia in a 4-0 win over Kuwait in Kuwait in October, was excited about joining the group for his major international tournament.



“Apostolos has been playing regularly in Cyprus with his club, as well as in the UEFA Europa League throughout 2018. He has arrived with the determination to impress and make the most of the opportunity.



“Our group has welcomed ‘Apo’ back into the Socceroos family and having been with us in Turkey, the UAE, and Kuwait earlier this year, Apo has a clear picture of how we work and the principles of play.



“We have spoken consistently about our player pool getting deeper and to add Apo to our attacking options despite the unfortunate news for Martin [Boyle] is fantastic. Apo offers us something a little bit different in attack – he is a hard-working player who can press and has a sharp eye for goal.”

Giannou said: “I will be doing everything that I can to impress in training and perform in matches here in the UAE. We have a great squad with a great culture and together I believe we will achieve our goals at the tournament.”



Squad | Australia | AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™

Name Club (Country) A-International Caps (Goals) Mustafa AMINI AGF Aarhus (Denmark) 5 (0) Aziz BEHICH PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 30 (2) Milos DEGENEK Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) 20 (1) Alex GERSBACH Rosenborg BK (Norway) 56(0) Apostolos GIANNOU AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) 6 (1) Rhyan GRANT Sydney FC (Australia) 2 (0) Chris IKONOMIDIS Perth Glory (Australia) 7 (1) Jackson IRVINE Hull City AFC (England) 25 (3) James JEGGO FK Austria Wien (Austria) 1 (0) Matthew JURMAN Al-Ittihad Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) 6 (0) Robbie KRUSE VfL Bochum (Germany) 70 (5) Mitchell LANGERAK (Gk) Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 8 (0) Mathew LECKIE Hertha BSC (Germany) 59 (8) Massimo LUONGO Queens Park Rangers (England) 39 (6) Awer MABIL FC Midtylland (Denmark) 4 (2) Jamie MACLAREN Hibernian FC (Scotland) 8 (0) Mark MILLIGAN (C) Hibernian FC (Scotland) 74 (6) Andrew NABBOUT Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) 8 (2) Josh RISDON Western Sydney Wanderers FC (Australia) 13 (0) Tom ROGIC Celtic FC (Scotland) 42 (8) Mathew RYAN (Gk) Brighton & Hove Albion FC (England) 50 (0) Trent SAINSBURY PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 42 (3) Daniel VUKOVIC (Gk) KRC Genk (Belgium) 3 (0)



Match Schedule | Australia | AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™



Australia v Jordan

Date: Sunday, 6 January 2019

Venue: Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

Kick-off: 3.00pm (local); 10.00pm (AEDT)

Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae



Palestine v Australia

Date: Friday, 11 January 2019

Venue: Rashid Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Kick-off: 3.00pm (local); 10.00pm (AEDT)

Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae



Australia v Syria

Date: Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Venue: Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

Kick-off: 5.30pm (local); 12.30am (AEDT – Wednesday, 16 January 2019)

Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae



For more information regarding the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019™, please visit www.afcasiancup.com