Harry Kewell may not be fit enough to play in Monday's friendly against New Zealand but Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek is confident his talisman will be ready for the opening World Cup game against Germany on June 13.
Kewell has been training three times a day in a bid to overcome the groin injury which has seen him play just a handful of minutes for club side Galatasaray.
Verbeek told a dinner in Melbourne on Monday night that he believed Kewell will be fit for Australia's tournament opener, saying: "I am 100% confident they (the medical staff) can do the job and Harry will be ready."
The Socceroos coach added: "He left his family in England and came earlier than anybody else and it says enough about what Harry's willing to do.
"He's not ready for the New Zealand game. He will be ready when we start the World Cup against Germany and that's all that matters.
"He had a morning session training, he had an afternoon session training, he was in the swimming pool at five o'clock in the afternoon, he's training three times a day."
While the official pre-World Cup training camp does not officially begin until Wednesday, Verbeek revealed that the squad has already started training together.
"Most of my players are here already and we have already started training," he said.
Australia will also play Denmark and the USA in the lead-up to the tournament in South Africa.
Source: PA
