The top two sides in the AFC Second Round World Cup qualifying Group B lock horns on the final matchday as Australia take on Jordan in Kuwait City on Tuesday.
The Socceroos are guaranteed to advance to the next round as group winners, and Jordan realistically need other results to go in their favour if they are to join their upcoming opponents in the third round.
Match preview
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Not since 2002 have Australia failed to qualify for the World Cup, and that streak does not appear to be ending anytime soon, as Graham Arnold's men have breezed through Group B without breaking a sweat to book their spot in the third round.
With 21 points taken from a possible 21 since the first ball was kicked, Arnold's side are one of only three AFC teams - the others being Syria and Japan - to have their 100% record still intact, and the Socceroos are in no position to let that slip on the final day.
While their upcoming opponents Jordan could only draw 0-0 with Kuwait last time out, Australia confirmed their first-placed finish by easing to a 3-0 success over 10-man Nepal, as Hertha Berlin's Mathew Leckie notched up his fourth goal of qualification before Fran Karacic and Martin Boyle made sure of a comfortable win.
Having scored 27 goals at the correct end of the pitch while shipping a mere two in their defensive third, Australia's dominance of Group B has been evident ever since their maiden victory over Kuwait all the way back in September 2019, but a spot in Qatar 2022 is not wrapped up just yet.
The Socceroos already know three of their potential opponents for the third round in Syria, Japan and South Korea, and wrapping up the second round with a convincing win over Jordan would be a perfect way to keep the momentum going before September's battles commence.
Jordan were blessed with an extra man for the final 30 minutes of their tie with closest challengers Kuwait on the penultimate matchday, but they were unable to make their advantage count as the tie finished goalless on June 11.
While that result does mean that Vital Borkelmans's men have kept back-to-back clean sheets since resuming World Cup qualifying action this month, Kuwait can still usurp them in second place should results go in their favour.
Kuwait will be expected to sweep aside the group's whipping boys Chinese Taipei with minimal difficulty - which could spell trouble for second-placed Jordan, who are only three points clear - and the two hopefuls are also locked on an identical goal difference of +11 before the final day.
Impressively, Jordan have only conceded one goal in their last six games of World Cup qualifying, but that strike was Adam Taggart's effort in a 1-0 Australia win back in November 2019, which represents Jordan's only defeat of the group so far.
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Team News
Australia forward Mitchell Duke has reportedly left the camp to be with his family in the UK and will play no part in this battle, while Apostolos Giannou's rib injury and Brad Smith's unspecified issue have ruled them out of contention.
Andrew Redmayne and Lawrence Thomas both enjoyed run-outs in between the sticks against Nepal, but Mat Ryan is pushing for a recall amid links with a permanent move to Arsenal.
Trent Sainsbury ought to be recalled on what would be his 50th cap for the national team, and a quick turnaround in fixtures could also benefit the likes of Nikita Rukavytsya and Adam Taggart up top.
Jordan coach Borkelmans sang his side's praises following their second-half performance against Kuwait, so some of the substitutes from that encounter may be in line for starting roles this time around.
Defender Mohammed Al Dmeiri only lasted for the first 45 minutes against Kuwait and could find his spot at risk, while Hamza Al-Dardour - searching for his 30th goal for the national team - may also be considered for a starting place.
Australia possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Karacic, Sainsbury, Souttar, Behich; Irvine, Holland, Metcalfe; Leckie, Taggart, Borrello
Jordan possible starting lineup:
Yaseen; Alsouliman, Alarab, Al-Ajalin, Haddad; Samir, Al-Bakhit; Abdel-Rahman, Saify, Al-Taamari; Faisal
We say: Australia 1-1 Jordan
With only four goals conceded between them during qualification so far, this final-day clash has all the makings of a low-scoring affair.
Arnold will not want Australia to take their foot off the gas despite having top spot already wrapped up, but defeat for Jordan opens the door for Kuwait to try to steal second spot from their grasp, and we can see Borkelmans's men claiming a hard-earned point to advance to the third round with the Socceroos.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Australia win with a probability of 55.73%. A draw had a probability of 24.6% and a win for Jordan had a probability of 19.66%.
The most likely scoreline for an Australia win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.48%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.03%) and 2-1 (9.49%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.59%), while for a Jordan win it was 0-1 (7.09%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Australia in this match.
