A newly motivated Saudi Arabia stand in front of the resurgent Socceroos in a crucial World Cup qualifier in Melbourne on Thursday, with the group’s second automatic qualification spot for the 2026 tournament dangling tantalisingly for the winner.
Although he only took charge in September, Australia’s coach Tony Popovic believes his players are well placed to win a clash that represents the halfway mark of this qualification phase, between opponents locked together in the standings on five points.
“We feel it’s in our hands here at our home stadium and our crowd, the players look calm and confident, and I want to see that in their performance,” Popovic said.
Saudi Arabia present a familiar opponent, who had the better of the Socceroos in qualifying for the previous World Cup under French coach Hervé Renard. Much has changed since then, and Renard left to coach France in the Women’s World Cup last year. The Matildas beat Renard’s side in the quarter-final shootout in Brisbane, and Renard – having returned to coach Saudi Arabia – joked on Wednesday it was now “one-one” between him and Australia.
“I’m sure they’ll have a bit of a bounce, as teams do, and we know their qualities,” Irvine said. “We’ve come up against them a number of times over the last few years, and we’re aware of those threats.”
Renard was named as a contender to replace Graham Arnold as Socceroos coach before Popovic took the job, but he declined to say on Wednesday whether he had spoken with Football Australia during their recruitment process.
With cards close to his chest, the Saudi coach said Thursday was a “very important game” for his team but that Bahrain and Indonesia, who are also part of the group and placed immediately below his team, shouldn’t be written off.
“I think it will be a big fight between three or four teams for the second position, so still a long way [to go],” he said. “We also have, I hope, the opportunity for the last game of this group to receive [host] Australia.”
Popovic has kept faith with the bulk of the side that beat China and drew with Japan in the previous window, but mystery hangs over critical positions.
In goal, captain Mat Ryan appeared to be demoted to back-up keeper behind Joe Gauci last month, and neither is first-choice at club level. When asked about Ryan – who is yet to play since moving to Roma in the off-season – Popovic said cryptically “you may see him tomorrow”.
“I’m sure he’ll be available for tomorrow and I’m sure he’ll get more numbers under his belt in terms of the Socceroos performances,” Popovic added.
In midfield, Luke Brattan and Keanu Baccus have been dropped, and Popovic has brought in Sydney FC’s 32-year-old Anthony Caceres and NAC Breda’s Max Balard – who moved from Central Coast in the off-season – and could be deployed alongside Jackson Irvine in the centre of the park.
“We feel [Balard] just keeps improving and has become more consistent with his game over there, and gaining confidence from playing regularly against big opponents,” Popovic said. “And Caceres gets a reward for being a very consistent player, a very good player for Sydney for a long time, but in particular this year I feel he’s really stepped up.”
Up front, Kusini Yengi has recovered from injury, and Popovic has a different mix of attackers to choose from, with Martin Boyle and Brandon Borrello now available at the expense of the omitted Nestory Irankunda and the suspended Craig Goodwin.
“We’re at the early stages of building a foundation of how we want to play, we started that in October, we really need to cement that foundation in this camp and hopefully add a few more layers to our game, with and without the ball,” Popovic said.
“Our expectation is to win, regardless of whether it’s early in our tenure together as a group or not.”
Saudi Arabia's Return to the World Cup Scene
Renard is back at the helm for the first time since replacing the Italian last month after Mancini and the Saudis ended an often awkward 14-month dalliance.
One win, two draws and a loss in four games in the third phase of the continent’s qualifiers for the 2026 finals has left the Saudis in third place in Group C, trailing second-placed Australia on goal difference and leaders Japan by five points.
Only the top two finishers in each of Asia’s three preliminary groups qualify automatically for the finals with the third and fourth placed sides advancing to another round, and the Saudis are desperate to ensure guaranteed progress.
It was Renard who was at the helm when Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina in the nations’ opening game at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, the win a high point of an initial three-and-a-half year long tenure for the former Zambia coach.
For his return Renard will be without the talismanic Salem Al-Dawsari, the winger who scored the winning goal against Argentina, after the Al-Hilal man pulled out due to injury although veteran midfielder Salman Al-Faraj has been recalled.
The Saudis face a Socceroos side boosted last month when Tony Popovic took over from Graham Arnold to pick up four points from games against China and Japan.
“We expect a very energetic, determined side, maybe desperate to get a result,” Popovic said of Saudi Arabia.
“We know what’s coming and we have to match that energy and enthusiasm, but have the patience and calmness to play our football at the right moments and identify what the game presents.
“We feel it is in our hands, at our home stadium,” he added. “The players look calm and confident and I want to see that in their performance tomorrow.”
Popovic shed no light on his starting XI with four uncapped players in his squad.
Japan's Path Towards Qualification
Meanwhile, Indonesia will hope to pull off a historic upset in front of an estimated 78,000 crowd when they host Japan at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.
Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan will then need to face down another hostile crowd when they travel to Xiamen on Tuesday to play China.
The Japanese lead the standings and received a raucous reception upon their arrival in Jakarta on Monday. Bahrain host China in the group’s other game.
“I’ve never seen something like this,” defender Yuto Nagatomo said upon arrival, according to Japanese media. “There was a big commotion at the airport, and I felt a bit like a Hollywood star.”
China and Indonesia occupy the bottom two spots in Group C.
South Korea's Road to Success
Like Japan, South Korea are on course for 2026, three points clear at the top of Group B.
South Korea travel to face Kuwait holding a three point advantage over Iraq and Jordan, who meet one another in Basra, with Oman hosting Palestine in Muscat.
They welcome back captain and talisman Son after he missed victories over Iraq and Asian Cup runners-up Jordan last month with a hamstring injury.
Qatar's Challenge in Group A
Reigning Asian champions Qatar face a crucial meeting with Uzbekistan in Group A that Tintin Marquez’s side must win to reignite their challenge for an automatic berth.
Qatar are six points behind leaders Iran, who take on North Korea in Laos, and Uzbekistan while third placed United Arab Emirates, currently level on four points with the Qataris, entertain Kyrgyzstan.
Australia's Road to Recovery
Aiming to extend their unbeaten run to three matches, Australia will welcome Saudi Arabia to AAMI Park in Melbourne for an AFC World Cup qualifying third-round match on Thursday.
The Socceroos collected four points across a pair of Group C fixtures in October, whilst the Green Falcons struggled to make an impact on their games last month.
Following over six years in charge of the national side and a drab goalless draw at the home of section minnows Indonesia in September, Graham Arnold stepped down as the head coach of Australia, with former player Tony Popovic taking over in the managerial hotseat as the AFC giants look to salvage their qualification campaign.
The 51-year-old managed a near-perfect start to life as Socceroos boss on October 10, when his troops recorded a 3-1 victory in Adelaide over Group C strugglers China, with Lewis Miller, hometown boy Craig Goodwin and Nishan Velupillay all breaching the net of the Dragon Team.
A daunting trip to section leaders Japan was on the agenda five days later on October 15 and a rejuvenated Australia went toe-to-toe with the AFC powerhouses, although a second-half own goal from Ipswich Town defender Cameron Burgess prevented the visitors from collecting three points in Saitama.
Improving massively from a sobering September, the Socceroos' October results have allowed them to move up to second place in the Group C standings ahead of Saudi Arabia's visit on Thursday, with Popovic's men currently five points adrift of runaway leaders Japan, with the top two in the six-team division automatically qualifying for the World Cup.
Australia have won two and drawn one of their last three home matches against Saudi Arabia, with the Green Falcons' most recent visit to the Oceania giants coming back in November 2021, when both Socceroos captain Matty Ryan and Al-Hilal star Mohammed Al-Rubaie kept clean sheets.
After just over a year in charge of the 2022 World Cup appearance makers, former Manchester City and Italy manager Roberto Mancini left his post at the Saudi Arabia national team by mutual consent in October, with the Euro 2020 winner managing just seven victories from his 18 matches at the helm.
Although the departure of the Italian will disappoint some supporters, there has been understandable excitement and media attention around his replacement, with Herve Renard returning the Green Falcons hotseat following a spell managing France in the women's game, including at the Paris Olympics over the summer.
A stalwart on the international scene, the 56-year-old won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia (2012) and Ivory Coast (2015) before guiding Saudi Arabia to the 2022 World Cup and the biggest upset of that particular tournament during the group stages, with eventual champions Argentina defeated in sensational circumstances.
Focusing on the present, the Green Falcons have serious work to do in order to automatically qualify for their third straight World Cup finals, with Thursday's visitors to Melbourne currently third in the Group C table, level on points with Australia and Bahrain in second and fourth respectively.
Saudi Arabia failed to find the net across two qualification matches in October, losing 2-0 at home to section leaders Japan before a depressing goalless draw against Bahrain on October 15, when captain Salem Al-Dawsari saw his penalty saved by Ebrahim Lutfalla.
The Teams to Watch
Australia are set to start a number of players who ply their trade in England on Thursday night, including Middlesbrough midfielder Riley McGree and Sheffield United's Harry Souttar.
Forced off during the half-time interval in Japan last time out, Luke Brattan could make way for Nashville SC's Patrick Yazbek in the engine room.
After his penalty miss against Bahrain last month, Saudi Arabia skipper Al-Dawsari will be unable to feature in November due to a foot injury.
The Green Falcons are also without the services of 27-year-old Abdulelah Al Amri, limiting the visitors' options at the heart of their backline.
A one-time Saudi Pro League winner, Abdulelah Al Malki will be unable to contribute in his country's games this month because of a muscle injury.
Australia possible starting lineup:Gauci; Geria, Souttar, Burgess; Miller, Yazbek, Irvine, Bos; McGree, Hrustic, Duke
Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup:Al Kassar; Hamed, Tambakti, Lajami, Kadesh; Alkhaibari, N Al Dawsari, Al Asmari; Yahya, Radif, Maran
The Green Falcons will be desperate to record a victory during Renard's first match back at the helm, although we feel that the Socceroos should be good enough to force a share of the spoils in Melbourne. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
