After only being able to muster a 2-1 win against Thailand in their last group stage match, the Socceroos have now been forced to enter the dreaded playoff rounds in their attempt to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Japan and Saudi Arabia advanced from Group B and Australia finished third meaning they’ll now play off against the third placed team in Group A, Syria, in a home and away leg fixture. The first game is scheduled to be played this Thursday night in Malaysia and the Aussies will be wanting to get off to a hot start.
The Socceroos will have the slight advantage with their ‘away’ leg actually being played on neutral ground in Malaysia due to the ongoing troubles in Syria. We’ll know by this time next week whether the Aussies are moving onto the next round with the 2nd match slated to be played on the 10th of October.
In what could be described as a bit of a panicked decision, Aussie boss Ange Postecoglou promoted five new players to his squad for the clash against Syria, feeling the need for a change after the disappointing game against Thailand.
Aziz Behich, Craid Goodwin, Nikita Rukavytsya, Matthew Jurman and Josh Ridson have all been selected in the 23-man squad. The biggest blow for the Aussies is key defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak’s fitness levels that will exclude him from the team.
Familiar names in Aaron Mooy, Tim Cahill, Tomi Juric, Robbie Kruse and Tom Rogic were all named in the squad, giving Australia what should be enough firepower to overcome the Syrians if they set their mind to it.
Syria had arguably the easier group in the third round of playoffs and was only just able to advance on goal difference over Uzbekistan after accumulating 13 points. Australia’s group was a lot more top heavy with Japan, Saudi Arabia and the Socceroos all racking up at least 19 points and the Aussies only losing one match.
The Socceroos drew three of their five away games in the group stages and we think they will back themselves to get a win on home soil. They’ll likely play super conservative in Malaysia on Thursday night and while we aren’t that confident in backing the draw we think the under on total goals is a good bet.
TIP: Total goals UNDER 2.5 - $1.70 at bet365
Value TIP: Correct score 0-0 - $8.50 at bet365
