SOCCEROOS coach Holger Osieck's right to pick A-League players will disrupt the penultimate round of the local competition because of FFA's regular fixtures clash.

With the A-League competition destined to be on a knife edge before the play-offs, Osieck must be ruthless when he names his squad for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier to face Oman on March 26 at Stadium Australia.



But Football Federation Australia's A-League scheduling is not making Osieck's task any easier - the competition continuing to clash directly with FIFA's international match calendar.



Osieck has no choice but to unsettle the competition, with national team regulars Mark Milligan and Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory) and the Sky Blues' Brett Emerton likely to be named.



Osieck may even tip-toe, giving opportunities to fringe A-League Socceroos such as in-form Adelaide United pair Eugene Galekovic and Dario Vidosic.



Call-ups for Central Coast Mariners gloveman Mat Ryan, Melbourne Heart's Eli Babalj and Richard Garcia and Brisbane Roar's Jade North and Ivan Franjic may rip the heart out the competition before finals.



Galekovic said he wouldn't hesitate to join Osieck's Socceroos for the Oman World Cup qualifier after the Reds gloveman had a solid East Asian Cup tournament in Hong Kong in December.



"(Reds reserve keeper) Paul Izzo would get a chance (if I get called up)," Galekovic said.



"Hopefully, he'll do the job but when you get called up for the Socceroos, you have to take it."



The fixtures dilemma has been with the A-League since it started in 2005 and the FFA has always clashed with some FIFA fixtures.



FIFA has provided an international calendar so national federations can avoid players' country versus club clashes.



Australia needs to finish at least second in its group to qualify directly for Brazil.



A third place finish will put the Socceroos into World Cup play-off territory.



The Socceroos are second on five points, eight points behind leader Japan and one point ahead of Jordan at the bottom of Group B.



Originally published as A-League to suffer for Cup qualifier