Australia will get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign underway when they welcome Bangladesh to Melbourne for Thursday's encounter.
The visitors have already negotiated one stage of qualifying after claiming a narrow victory against the Maldives in the first-round playoffs.
Match preview
© Reuters
After going 32 years without a World Cup finals appearance between 1974 and 2006, Australia have made a habit of qualifying for football's showpiece event.
Impressively, the Socceroos have appeared in each of the last five finals, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where they managed to reach the knockout rounds for just the second time.
As the third-highest ranked team in the Asia section of qualifying, Australia will be expected to top a group that contains Palestine, Lebanon and Bangladesh.
Should they finish in the top two of Group I, they will advance to the third and final stage of qualifying, while they would also be guaranteed a place at the 2027 Asia Cup.
Graham Arnold's side have the chance to claim consecutive victories on Thursday after they ended a four-game winless run with a 2-0 victory over New Zealand in their most recent international in October.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded a 3-2 aggregate victory over the Maldives to secure their place in the second round of qualifying.
Saad Uddin netted a stoppage-time equaliser to ensure the away leg finished as a 1-1 draw, before goals from Rakib Hossain and Foysal Ahmed Fahim guided Javier Cabrera's side to a 2-1 victory in the second leg.
Sitting in 183rd place in the FIFA World Rankings, Bangladesh are the lowest-ranked nation in the group, ensuring they head into the second stage of qualifying as the obvious underdogs.
They have at least proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, having avoided defeat in regulation time in each of their last seven matches.
However, they have lost 11 of their last 15 away games (W1, D3) in World Cup qualifying, highlighting the size of the task that awaits them on Thursday.
- W
- L
- D
- D
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Australia could line up with a centre-back pairing of Harry Souttar and Cameron Burgess, while Ryan Strain and Jordan Bos could operate as the two full-backs.
Machida Zelvia striker Mitchell Duke has scored in his last two J2 League matches, and he will look to find the net for a third consecutive game when he leads the line against Bangladesh.
Charlton goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer and Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi are the only two uncapped players in the squad, and the League One duo will be among the substitutes for Thursday's encounter.
As for the visitors, midfielder Sohel Rana is set to serve a one-match suspension after being sent off in the second-leg victory over the Maldives.
Teenage goalkeeper Mitul Marma will be the last line of defence, but the shot-stopper will be looking for assistance from his backline, which could feature Uddin, Tariq Kazi, Bishwanath Ghosh and Shakil Hossain.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Rakib Hossain and Fahim could be tasked with offering the visitors' main attacking threat.
Australia possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Strain, Souttar, Burgess, Bos; Boyle, Baccus, Irvine, Goodwin; Metcalfe; Duke
Bangladesh possible starting lineup:
Marma; Kazi, Uddin, Ghosh, S Hossain; Ridoy, MS Rana, Bhuyan, Rahman Jony; R Hossain, Fahim
We say: Australia 4-0 Bangladesh
Australia are ranked 156 places higher than Bangladesh, and we think that sizeable difference will be reflected on the pitch, which is why we believe the Socceroos will cruise to a comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
