Emil Audero Injured, The Indonesian National Team Has 2 Local Goalkeepers For Replacement Options

Emil Audero is likely to miss the Indonesian national team in the Fourth Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification (VOI/Karisa Aurelia Tukan).

JAKARTA - Unpleasant news approached the Indonesian national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Fourth Round. The mainstay goalkeeper who had a career in Serie A, Emil Audero, was injured.

Emil Audero, who is now in the Cremonese uniform, is known to have suffered an injury ahead of the match against Como in the continuation match of Serie A 2025/2026. The injury that occurred during the warm-up session made Audero cancel as a starter.

His position was later replaced by Marco Silvestri just minutes before kickoff. According to local media reports by Calcio Cremonese, Audero had a glitch in the flexor muscles, potentially forcing him to be absent for several weeks.

Although there has been no official statement from the club, an internal source said that the injury was not severe.

However, Emil still needs to undergo further examinations to ensure the severity and duration of his recovery.

"Audero is scheduled to undergo a series of medical tests in the coming days," wrote Calcio Cremonese's report quoted Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

Emil's situation apparently not only made Cremonese wary, but also for the Indonesian national team who were preparing to appear in the Fourth Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification in October 2025.

In the Third Round, Emil became one of the main pillars under the Garuda Squad's crossbar whose contribution was very significant in maintaining the defense.

If Emil's injury is not too serious, it is estimated that it will only take two weeks to recover.

However, this estimate actually made Emil remain absent from defending the Indonesian national team. Audero's absence made coach Patrick Kluivert have to prepare a backup plan, especially Marteen Paes, another naturalized goalkeeper has also just recovered from injury and is not fully fit.

With a situation like this, Kluiverts have two local player options that can be an option to replace Emil Audero's absence. They are Ernando Ari and Nadeo Argawinata.

The two goalkeepers have even made impressive appearances with the Indonesian national team in the previous event. Ernando is known to have a fast and mentally strong reflex, while Nadeo has a long experience.

If Audero is really absent from the crucial match, then the big responsibility will be to move to the shoulders of Ernando or Nadeo. The final decision is in the hands of Kluiver, but both of them must be ready to perform optimally in order to maintain Indonesia's hopes of qualifying for the next round.