Australia vs Lebanon
The best and brightest of Asia are back at it for the second round of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers. For some, Australia remain a dark horse in this campaign, but for others, the Socceroos are one of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers 2024 odds favourites.
They proved that they can handle themselves pretty well against some of the best outfits on the continent after reaching the quarterfinals of the recent AFC Asian Cup.
Currently undefeated in Group I, Australia have a chance to sweep their cluster with a win against a budding Lebanese outfit, who have high aspirations this term as well.
After two games, Lebanon have tallied two points and emerged as the closest adversaries to combating Australia for the top spot in Group I. A win against the Socceroos at CommBank Stadium this Thursday would bring the Cedars a point shy of Australia, putting them well within striking distance from the top spot of the cluster.
The second round of the World Cup qualifiers will open things up with back-to-back Australia vs Lebanon ties, so expect these well-acquainted squads to give it their all, as these first two clashes will set a pivotal tone for Group I moving forward.
Talking Points
Australia braving the injury bug ahead of qualifiers
It’s not looking too good for Graham Arnold and the Socceroos, for this SBOTOP writer at least, as they continue to lose key pieces of their roster due to injuries. The likes of Aziz Behich, Martin Boyle, Aiden O’Neill, and Marco Tilio are all unavailable to receive call-ups as they continue to tend to their injuries.
Luckily for the Australians, they have a deep pool of talents in their back pockets, and their late call-ups can still provide quality production and are reliable enough to garner winning World Cup Asian Qualifiers 2024 results.
One of the late call-ups for the Socceroos is Ajdin Hrustic, a maestro on the field who boasts 24 caps under his belt. The midfielder was terrific during Australia’s 2022 World Cup campaign, but his efforts were cut short due to an ankle injury during the tournament proper. But the Australian maestro is fit again and is a staple for Heracles in the Eredivisie, where he scored his first goal for the club with a convincing strike against Almere.
Another late call-up ahead of Australia’s clash against the Cedars is Adam Taggart, who is currently in his best form for Perth Glory.
The 30-year-old veteran gas tallied 14 goals in 18 A-League Men games this campaign, and that’s more than enough for Graham Arnold to call up the savvy veteran. Taggart will give a much-appreciated boost to Arnold’s already deadly final third, which houses the likes of Mitch Duke, Kusini Yengi, and Bruno Fornaroli.
Lebanon are gunning for their first win
Lebanon are still without a win in the World Cup Qualifiers, but they’re still the second-best team in Group I, thanks to the underwhelming performances by Palestine and Bangladesh.
The Cedars have managed to stay afloat in their cluster by tallying a scoreless draw against Palestine to start their World Cup qualifying campaign and then following it up with a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh at Bashundhara Kings Arena.
Their upcoming match against group leaders Australia will be their greatest hurdle in their campaign thus far. Australia remain one of the best clubs in Asia and are currently undefeated in the World Cup qualifiers this term.
Cedars head coach Miodrag Radulovic remains optimistic despite the absence of some of his key players for their bout against the Socceroos, as the 56-year-old confidently highlights the influx of young Lebanese products that will be the cornerstone of his outfit.
History
The Socceroos have bossed their head-to-head matchups with Lebanon, winning all two matches against their Asian rivals. In fact, Australia have been able to keep a clean sheet against Lebanon in all of their matches, 3-0 in 2018 and 3-0 in 2012.
These outfits only have a small sample size between them, but based on their recent forms, the results of their upcoming clash will still be in favour of the Australians.
The Cedars have failed to tally a single win during their recent Asian Cup campaign, falling to Qatar and Tajikistan while tallying a scoreless draw against China. Their last win came in an international friendly against Jordan, where they managed to overcome the Jordanians with a 2-1 score line.
Australia, on the other hand, had a fruitful campaign in the recent AFC Asian Cup, where they reached the quarterfinals, only to be silenced by Son Heung-min and the rest of the Korea Republic. But before this loss, the Socceroos were undefeated in the group stages and proceeded to thrash Indonesia 4-0 in the Round of 16.
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