Australia´s Vince Grella (right) challenges Iraq´s Hawar Thaer, June 2008

Influential midfielder Vince Grella has returned but the Australian squad will be without Brett Emerton and probably Harry Kewell for next week’s key 2010 World Cup Asian qualifier to face Japan in Yokohama.

Grella, the Blackburn Rovers’ holding midfielder, was named in a 22-man squad by coach Pim Verbeek on Tuesday for the February 11 showdown with Australia’s chief regional rivals.

Grella missed Australia’s last three qualifying wins over Uzbekistan, Qatar and Bahrain through injury.

But Verbeek will be without Grella’s Blackburn teammate Emerton, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the English Premier League season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

The Socceroos will also likely be without Harry Kewell, who is recovering from an abdominal hernia operation and is on the verge of playing again with his Turkish club Galatasaray.

The Dutch coach said Kewell could still force his way into the final 18 match day squad.

“Harry told me if there’s a chance he will play (for Galatasaray) this weekend, that I can always call him,” Verbeek told reporters.

“But (first) he has to play on the weekend and then I can make up my mind. I don’t take risks with players.”

Experienced defender Scott Chipperfield has also been included in the squad, but the Swiss-based player is in doubt with a foot injury, which cost him a transfer to Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga last month.

Verbeek has sent team physio Phil Coles to Basel to check on the wing-back’s fitness.

“The climate at the moment is not helping us because it is very cold and there is a lot of snow in Basel,” Verbeek said of Chipperfield’s situation.

“So at the moment there are no training sessions at all, but that’s the reason why we sent Phil to Europe, to check and to find out what’s possible.”

Verbeek has called almost exclusively on his European-based contingent for the Japanese showdown, only calling on one domestic player, Brisbane Roar central defender Craig Moore, who played in Australia’s 0-0 draw with Indonesia in an Asian Cup qualifier in Jakarta last week.

Verbeek also called in Jade North as defensive cover following his recent transfer from the Newcastle Jets to Incheon United in South Korea.

Verbeek, who will be in Tokyo for Japan’s warm-up match against Finland on Wednesday, said five squad members – Lucas Neill, Mark Bresciano, Mile Jedinak, Michael Petkovic and Carl Valeri – were not due to arrive in Yokohama until the day before the qualifier.

Australia are unbeaten after three wins in Asian World Cup Group A and are two points ahead of Japan, who dropped points in a 1-1 home draw with Uzbekistan at Saitama last October.

In the other Asian Group A match next Wednesday, Uzbekistan host Bahrain in Tashkent, whilst Qatar have a bye.