Socceroos sweat on draw
AUSTRALIA will be desperate to avoid a repeat of the World Cup draw from four years ago when the groups for Russia 2018 are finalised early tomorrow morning.
The best outcome for the Socceroos would be to be drawn against the likes of Russia, Peru and Tunisia, although Australian fans would salivate at the prospect of taking on England for the first time in a major tournament.
But being placed in the fourth pot for the lowest- ranked teams means the number of worst- case scenarios far outweigh the favourable outcomes for the Socceroos, who could land in a group featuring Brazil, Spain and Denmark.
The Socceroos’ fate was sealed before they kicked a ball at the Brazil 2014 tournament when they were pitted against defending champions Spain, European powers the Netherlands and South American nation Chile.
Despite encouraging performances, including the 3- 2 cliffhanger against the Dutch, the Socceroos walked away with three losses.
That’s why a victory in the early hours of tomorrow morning at the World Cup draw in the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow is critical to any thoughts of escaping the group stage in seven months.
For the Socceroos, assistant coach Ante Milicic will be joined by FFA boss David Gallop, who jumped on a plane to Russia immediately following yesterday’s annual general meeting in Sydney.
Former England captain and 1986 Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker will host the ceremony alongside Russian sports journalist Maria Komandnaya.
All eight champion nations will send a representative of their winning teams to assist in the draw.
Australia’s draw difficulties come as the teams are split into four pots based on their FIFA world ranking. Pot 1 features Russia and the seven highest- ranked teams, led by Germany, Brazil, Portugal and Argentina.
Teams will be drawn into eight groups of four from A to H and play three group games, with the top two advancing to the second stage.
It just leaves one minor detail for FFA to sort out – to find a coach to replace Ange Postecoglou.