Joe gauci

Asian Football Confederation: Australian men's football captain and first-choice goalkeeper Mat Ryan is in doubt for the early stages of the Socceroos' Asian Cup campaign.

Graham Arnold, head coach of the Socceroos, on Sunday said that Ryan, 31, is touch-and-go for Australia's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup opener against India on January 13 due to a fractured cheekbone sustained in training with Dutch club side AZ Alkmaar in December, reports Xinhua.

Ryan has joined Socceroos' training in the lead-up to the tournament in Qatar but did not feature in their final friendly against Bahrain in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, with 23-year-old Joe Gauci starting in goal and keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win.