In March of next year, the Chinese national football team will face two crucial matches in the top 18 qualifiers: an away game against Saudi Arabia and a home game against Australia. The results of these two games are likely to directly influence the Chinese team's campaign for the 2026 World Cup. To better prepare, the head coach of the national team, Ivan, has even temporarily decided to hold a 10-day winter training session in Haikou starting on January 8th. Prior to this winter training, the Chinese team also received some good news: Australia's top star and starting central defender, Souttar, suffered an Achilles tendon rupture and will be out for 12 months, which means he will definitely miss the China-Australia match in March.
The 26-year-old Souttar is Australia's top star. In the winter transfer window of 2023, Leicester City spent a high transfer fee of 17 million euros to sign him from Stoke City. This season, Souttar was loaned to Sheffield United in the English Championship. In the latest round of Championship matches, Sheffield United lost 0-2 to Burnley. In the final moments of the game, Souttar got injured after a sprinting clearance. He clearly felt uncomfortable and had to be helped off the field. After the game, Chris Wilder, the head coach of Sheffield United, told BBC Radio, "He's absolutely devastated; his Achilles tendon has ruptured. Souttar is expected to be out for 12 months and will return to Leicester City to recover."
It is worth noting that this is the second serious injury Souttar has suffered within three years. In November 2021, Souttar suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during Australia's World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia. This kept him out of action for as long as 11 months. Now, Souttar has once again suffered a serious Achilles tendon rupture, which is expected to sideline him for 12 months.
Souttar's absence for 12 months is a huge blow to the Australian team. His absence is causing a headache for Australia's head coach, Tony Popovic. There are still four key matches left in the Asian top 18 qualifiers, and the Australian team is currently ranked second in Group C, but they only lead the bottom-ranked Chinese team by one point. It will not be easy for Australia to maintain this position and automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
In March of next year, the Australian team will play against Indonesia at home, and five days later, they will face China away. In June, Australia will also play against Japan, and the final match of the top 18 qualifiers will be an away challenge against Saudi Arabia. Australia now must find a new central defender to fill the void left by Souttar. Popovic can no longer call upon the 21-year-old central defender, Yassir Al-Rakhibi, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury in September and will also be out for nearly a year. This makes Burgess, Rowles, and Hayden Matthews the most likely choices for Popovic in the central defender position.
The 29-year-old Burgess is the starting defender for Ipswich Town in the Premier League, while the 26-year-old Rowles plays for Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. However, both are left-footed players, making it difficult for Popovic to start both of them. On the other hand, the 20-year-old young defender Matthews, who plays for Sydney FC in the A-League, is a right-footed player. He made his debut for the Australian national team in November, helping Australia draw 2-2 with Bahrain.
Although Popovic can find replacements for the central defender position, there is still a significant gap in strength compared to Souttar. Souttar's absence for 12 months is undoubtedly a major blow to Australia's World Cup qualifiers next year.
