Schwarzer's ready for Socceroos

Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer says he will be ready to play in the World Cup after cheek surgery earlier this week.

Schwarzer sustained the injury in Middlesbrough's FA Cup 1-0 semi-final loss to West Ham last week, with initial reports suggesting the Socceroos custodian was in serious doubt of missing the World Cup.

"I went for the ball and felt a whack to the side of the head, it was either a forearm or an elbow, and whether it was intentional or not, I don't know," Schwarzer told Sydney radio station 2KY.

Fortunately, the damage was less than feared and the surgery was completed without complication.

"I'll have a mask made-up for my cheek and in 14 days from the operation I should be able to start training, and within 3-4 weeks I'll be right to play," Schwarzer said.

"(The specialist) is very confident that's how it will be and I fully go along with it."

Quizzed about whether he'd be fit to play against Japan in the Socceroos' opening World Cup match, Schwarzer was adamant he'd be there.

"Without a doubt, I'll be 100 per cent fit," he said.

As the Socceroos hierarchy wonder just how to handle the recent spate of injuries that have cursed the team's key players, former skipper Craig Foster thinks it might prove to be a positive.

"In all honesty, if you look at what goes on with these players, they're playing exhausting games with their clubs all year and some of them never get a break," Foster said.

"Injuries are never good things to have, but most of these guys will use this time to refresh themselves and get themselves in order for the World Cup, which is exactly what we need."

Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Josip Skoko, Tim Cahill and Schwarzer have all been hit with various injuries over the past week, but all are expected to be picked in the Guus Hiddink's final World Cup squad, named on May 15.

"The only real problem is with Cahill's (posterior cruciate) injury, as he won't be able to bear much weight, so keeping him fit will be difficult, but he's such an important player and Hiddink needs him in the team."

"Hiddink will leave it until as late as possible with Cahill, because despite the fact we've never had as much midfield depth as we do now, we don't have that many who are performing at a high level and still scoring goals."

Foster said while the current injuries were somewhat unfortunate for the players themselves, the crucial thing is that they are ready when they are needed most.

"We really need our top eleven to be out on the park in June and to remain injury free at that time, because if you look at our second string side, which was effectively the team we used against Bahrain, there's nobody there who's in the same class."

•  Have a view on this story? Send us your feedback!