TOM ROGIC and his Australian team-mates are heading for World Cup ‘hell’.
The Celtic midfielder could face former Hoops pal Emilio Izaguirre when the Socceroos take on Honduras in the two-legged play-off in their bid to reach Russia next summer.
But former Aussie boss Holger Osieck has warned Rogic and Co they are travelling to “one of the most-dangerous cities on earth” and will face rage and hostility from the home supporters at the venue in San Pedro Sula.
The city was known as the “murder capital of the world” until last year when Venezuela’s capital Caracas eclipsed its rocketing homicide rate.
Osieck said: “It’s hell, you cannot imagine what happens there.
“They set you up in the jungle, and then 2000m high, air conditioning that doesn’t work in the hotel, you cannot close the windows, you have the mosquitoes everywhere.
“You have noise outside the hotel, people they stay the entire night on the streets, the drumming and trumpeting whatever, then in the games with reckless tackles, it’s not easy.”
Current coach Ange Postecoglou is set to quit after the second leg, due for November 14 in Sydney with the first game the previous week.
Rogic, who played 96 minutes in Tuesday’s 2-1 extra-time win over Syria that gave the Aussies a 3-2 aggregate victory, will be a key man for the country who will be without the suspended Matt Leckie and Mark Milligan for the away tie.
The influential playmaker will almost certainly miss Celtic’s Premier League games against St Johnstone and Ross County, but could be in contention for the November 22 Champions League encounter against Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital.
Former Hoops defender Izaguirre was missing as his nation edged a 3-2 triumph over Mexico in front of their frenzied fans in San Pedro Sula.
They sealed their play-off spot after coming back from two goals down while the USA dropped to fifth place and out of the competition following a shock 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago.
