Socceroos can control own World Cup destiny with win over Saudi Arabia at AAMI Park in Melbourne
After getting their World Cup qualification campaign back on track, the Socceroos are determined to beat Saudi Arabia and wrest their fate firmly into their own hands.
Australia’s hopes of direct qualification were in dire straits after the 1-0 home loss to Bahrain and 0-0 away draw to Indonesia that ultimately resulted in Graham Arnold stepping down.
But the Socceroos righted the ship under Tony Popovic, beating China 3-1 in Adelaide then earning a gutsy 1-1 draw with Japan in Saitama as other results fell in their favour.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.In that window, the Saudis drew 0-0 with Bahrain and China beat Indonesia 2-1.
It means Japan (10 points) are outright Group C leaders with Australia (five points, +1) ahead of Saudi Arabia (five points, -1) and Bahrain (five points, -4) on goal difference.
It only magnifies the importance of Thursday night’s crunch clash with the Saudis at AAMI Park, then the away match against Bahrain four days later in Riffa.
“Obviously we’re in the position we’re in through our own performances, right?” defender Cam Burgess said on Wednesday.
“So yeah, we’ve put ourselves back in the position to take and get control of it.
“That’s what we want to do, we want to be one of the best teams in this competition.
“Yes, it’s in our hands to do that, and we have to ensure that we can be that team.”
The Saudis are back in the hands of Herve Renard, who led them to a famous World Cup victory over eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
Renard coached against the Socceroos in the 2022 qualification cycle, earning a home 1-0 win and away 0-0 draw to claim a direct spot to Qatar.
He was notably coach of France’s women’s team when the Matildas famously beat them on penalties in last year’s World Cup quarter-final.
Ipswich Town defender Burgess, who is high on confidence after starting four Premier League games in a row, played down the impact of the “new coach bounce” as an “old cliche.”
Visiting teams often sit deep when playing in Australia to frustrate the Socceroos, though Renard has also been known for his intense pressing style.
“It could be some different things thrown at us,” Burgess said.
“They’ve got a new manager and a different way of playing.
“They’ve had that manager before so they’ll be familiar with each other.
“So, yeah, there’s things to look at, and obviously, more importantly, what we can do to hurt them.”
