No pressing the panic button for Australia
COACH SAYS THIRD-PLACED SIDE HAVE IT IN CONTROL
nder-pressure Australia coach Ange Postecoglou has downplayed the significance of today’s World Cup qualifier against UAE as the Socceroos battle to remain in contention for an automatic berth to Russia in 2018.
Australia sit third in Group B of Asian qualifying after their 1-1 draw against Iraq, three points adrift of leaders Saudi Arabia and Japan.
Only the top two are guaranteed qualification for Russia and with four games remaining, Australia’s hopes of a fourth straight World Cup appearance could hinge on the outcome of the meeting at Sydney Football Stadium.
“It’s no bigger than last Thursday was,” Postecoglou told reporters on Monday, referring to the draw with Iraq in Tehran last week.
“Obviously it’s a World Cup qualifier and we’ve kind of set up an environment where we prepare for each game the same way and this is no different.
“If we win tomorrow night, it doesn’t make the Saudi Arabia game (on June 8) less important, if we don’t win, it doesn’t make it more important.
“I think we’re still, in terms of qualifying, where we know that our fate’s in our own hands,” added Postecoglou, whose side have laboured to four consecutive draws and struggled to score. “We’ll only start looking at other things if that gets out of our control.”
First time ever
The UAE sit just one point behind Australia after losing to Japan last week. The third placed team in each of Asia’s two qualifying groups goes into a play-off.
Valid Halilhodzic’s Japan host Thailand at Saitama Stadium and will be expected to collect three points, while Bert van 2. South Korea 3. Uzbekistan 4. Syria 5. China 6. Qatar
Group B
1. Saudi Arabia 2. Japan 3. Australia 4. UAE 5. Iraq 6. Thailand 6 6 6 6 6
PWD
6 6 6 6 6 6 3 3 2 1 1
4 4 2 3 1 0 1 0 2 2 1
1 1 4 0 1 1 2 3 2 3 4
L
1 1 0 3 4 5 8 5 2 3 3
F
12 10 9 7 7 3 7 4 2 6 7
A Pts
5 5 6 8 9 15 10 9 8 5 4
13 13 10 9 4 1 Marwijk’s Saudi Arabia play an Iraq side in Jeddah that have picked up just four points from their first six games.
Australia skipper Mile Jedinak said his side know all about the UAE. “We have done some analysis on them, but we have played them quite regularly,” Jedinak said.
“We know they don’t change an awful lot in their style of play, and even the players in the squad have been together for quite a number of years.
“This generation have grown up together. We know they always give us a good contest. We are going to have to try to assert ourselves on the game as we always try to do.”