5 games need to be played.

12 points is 4 wins and 1 loss

11 points is 3 wins and 2 draws.

10 points is 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.

With the Saudi's playing away to Thailand and the UAE at home to Japan this week, we could go from 4th to first in one step. It will be an interesting week with the second game potentially giving us the chance to put some points between us and our rivals. I would guess, though, that Japan would love to beat the UAE after their slip up in the first game. That wouldn't hurt our chances as, if we then also beat them, they'd have lost touch with the top two (if both Japan and us have the two wins).

23 March

UAE v Japan
Thailand v Saudi Arabia
Iraq v Australia

28 March

Australia v UAE
Saudi Arabia v Iraq
Japan v Thailand

A spot at the 2018 World Cup not enough for Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou

March 22 2017 - 5:29PM
If you think Australia's precarious World Cup qualifying position might curb the gambler's instinct in Ange Postecoglou, think again.

The Socceroos coach remains as confident as ever in his methods and insists he won't take any easy options simply to ensure a smoother road to Russia.

Plays of the Week

Outrageous ball playing skills, incredible comebacks and record breaking feats, these are the plays of the week. Surf vision courtesy www.worldsurfleague.com

Just getting there, for Postecoglou, is not enough.

That means being bold in Thursday night's (AEDT) clash in Tehran against Iraq, a match that will kick off a huge year of international soccer for the Socceroos.

Ange Postecoglou wants more than just a ticket to the World Cup.
Ange Postecoglou wants more than just a ticket to the World Cup. Photo: Getty Images
"Everything we do, every decision we make - about selection, the way we play - is designed so that if we do get to a World Cup, we can make an impact," Postecoglou said.

"Whether that happens or not, time will show all that, but in the meantime I'm not going to try to sit in a place of consolidation or try to sort of reel it back in.

Advertisement
"I just don't think that serves any purpose for anyone.

"I know people feel good about qualification, I understand that - I certainly want to qualify for a World Cup.

"But just qualifying for a World Cup has proven in the past (to be) not as fulfilling as maybe people think it is when you're in the middle of it."

Australia sit third in Group B after three consecutive draws and will face a desperate Iraq, who need to win to keep their faint World Cup hopes alive.

The surface at the 8250-capacity PAS Stadium is well below par but, for once, the climate will suit the Socceroos - the cold, wind and rain in Tehran are a lot like what most players in the squad are accustomed to in Europe.

There are no fitness concerns except for a minor cloud over skipper Mile Jedinak, who has been carefully managed due to muscle soreness and has barely trained but is said to be in no danger of missing out.

Jedinak has recently been used as a centre-back by Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce but Postecoglou said he was keen to keep the captain in the thick of the midfield action, mindful the match will likely descend into a slog.

"We want him right in the middle of the park where he kind of gives confidence around him, especially the ball-players we've got," Postecoglou said.

"He's going to win the ball and be imposing.

"For us that's his most effective part of our game and that's where we'll keep him."

Possible Socceroos team: Mathew Ryan; Milos Degenek, Bailey Wright, Trent Sainsbury, Brad Smith; Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, Massimo Luongo, Aaron Mooy; Mathew Leckie, Tomi Juric.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/a-spot-at-the-2018-world-cup-not-enough-for-socceroos-coach-ange-postecoglou-20170322-gv42tk.html


I feel we make the WC we really need to draw Russia in pot 1. I would love to play them in the first match of the tournament when they have all that pressure on them.

correct !

Those 12 points as we were leading looked very nice. We're still undefeated on 10. The issue is the other games aren't being drawn. The good news is our last 4 games should be on good pitches. I think matches against Japan are always close and different against wild opponents like Iraq. We need to get 6 points and the next 2 game sand hope that Iraq or someone else can harass the others.

The crunch day will be in Japan with UAE hosting Saudi on the same day. UAE will probably need to win to stay alive so hopefully they get a win and we stay equal or just ahead of Saudi. Saudi host Japan on the last day. Provided we beat Thailand, a draw in that game should see us though. A win for Saudi could see them jump us and Japan will likely go to Russia directly.

http://ultra.zone/2018-FIFA-World-Cup-qualification-AFC-Third-Round#group=b

If Australia qualify for Russia playing at this standard, while nations such as Sweden, Czech Republic, Wales, Turkey and potentially even some of Serbia, Portugal, Holland and Italy do not qualify...

that is just wowwwww

There is a tournament called the Euros.

World qualifying is the only way to fix things.

Here's another chance for me to bang on about world qualification groups for the World Cup.

I would like to see how your aforementioned European teams would go away in Iran in the same conditions.

If it just meant exclusively only Euro and South American teams qualifying, then so be it, as it would purely be on merit, but I bet there would be more than a few upsets to the world order.

High five.

Yes and no.

I wager there would be a few upsets if those sides had to play in Iran, the UAE and so on.

But we have seen such a sustained run of mediocrity from our NT that I'm not quite sure those sides would be quite so average. The AFC nations genuinely are shockingly bad at the minute.

Many UEFA teams struggle in Azerbaijan and Armenia now. They'd have a tough time handling the logistics of going to China and then back home. Playing on terrible pitches would also see them perform poorly. It's seen enough in Georgia and Kazakhstan away trips.

I think we'd be lucky to be sitting third in just about any UEFA group at the minute. Depending on the group, it could be 4th or 5th. Being mindful that only the top finisher goes directly through and whoever finishes second goes to the play-off.

In any other confederation we would be out of contention already..drawing 4 games in a row in european qualifying pretty much kills you..in asia its actually not that bad provided you win at home..so the real stuff for us starts on tuesday night.

Robbie Slater: A-League carries the Socceroos now

Joshua Thomas

Updated at 12:57 a.m. ET

Former Socceroo Robbie Slater has slammed the national side after their 1-1 draw with Iraq which has left their World Cup qualification hopes in the balance.

MORE: WATCH-Socceroos stumble again in World Cup qualifying

Slater, who played 44 games for Australia, has been vocal in his disapproval of Ange Postecoglou's set-up of late and that continued after the Socceroos could only scrape to a draw with Iraq.

Speaking on the Daily Football Show, the former Southampton midfielder didn't hold back in criticising the side and suggesting the A-League is in a much better place.

"We’ve got a lot more questions than answers at the moment," Slater said of the Socceroos.

"This is what you get when you celebrate three losses at the World Cup.

"The A-league is stronger now than the Socceroos.

"The ratings don't lie, the Socceroos have been on the nose for years. People will watch the Melbourne derby and the Sydney derby more than they'll watch a Socceroos game.

"The A-League carries the Socceroos now.

"I think because of the national team’s failure, the A-League will get better. The foreigners will still come if you pay them and the kids are still going to play the game and dream even if we don’t make World Cups."

With veteran striker Tim Cahill adding another 20 national goals to his name under Postecoglou, Slater believes Australia remains too reliant on the 37-year-old.

"This Postecoglou era would never have happened without the Cahill era," he said.

"God bless Timmy, but he can’t keep going on forever. He’s not going to start games now. "

Despite the Socceroos having three of their last four World Cup qualifiers at home, Slater remains sceptical of their chances of making it to Russia.

"But if you look at the trend we're on, you can't be confident we're going to get the points we need...but I certainly hope we do," he said.

http://www.sportingnews.com/au/football/news/robbie-slater-a-league-carries-the-socceroos-now-footbal/w0iwb72qxlvk16gn1jrc74yt6

:) do you think Slater has any suggestions who he replacement should be?

I'll throw this out there.

More conservative and stronger though the spine and when Rogic is fit i think he needs to be used as a floating striker to just get about and cause havoc without defensive duties.
He doesn't have the legs to be getting up and down the pitch for 90. Plus he actually takes shots. 

A little known 20 year old fella by the name of Tom I reckon.

Jumping to all sorts of conclusions here but in the scenario of a third place finish we are likely to play either Uzbekistan or Syria. We have a good record against the Uzbeks and Syria are an unknown, although we would have the enviable scenario of playing the away leg in a neutral venue. In a favourable scenario CONCACAF would throw up a Panama, Honduras or Trinadad and Tobago - all of which we would back ourselves in against. 

Deleted message

Could it happen with larger world cups in the future that AFC qualifying will be one big group? 

Imagine having it like South America. 10 teams. Australia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Syria. 

If the AFC got 8 slots it'd seem near senseless with only 2 teams missing out. AFC is bigger with more.preliminary rounds so such a  format would be pretty hard to enter on the calendar. It'd be epic having 18 games but also very draining.

Our current AFC schedule sees two matches each break except the Thailand away round. Crazily CONMEBOL nations still find time for friendlies. I think we need to make the most out of the calendar. 

We face Brazil after Saudi. Could we tee up something before the game in Adelaide? 

I just checked and saw the AFC side plays at home last so it'd be in the Americas first. Honduras or Panama would be murder with the atmosphere and set up. Trinidad would be like OFC tropical days. 

The order of the AFC playoff legs will be drawn later. I'd  want to play away first in that round to save on travel. 

I would think it more likely that the AFC would stick to the current 2 groups of 6 or even 2 groups of 8 with the top 4 in each group going through.  It would also be possible they might prefer 4 groups of 4 or 5 with the top 2 going through.

Wait, so why did Langerak start?
What happened to Ryan
Speaking about Ryan, wierd to see such a big club like Stuttguard in the second division, they have a crowd capacity of over 60k......

Poor management by Stuttgart over the years. Constant errors by players. They'll get promoted this season. 

Langerak has played more than Ryan this season. Both are great keepers and each have their brilliant and tricky days. It can be confusing on who to select because it involves a lot of hindsight with their performances.

Suncorp Stadium bid to host crucial Socceroos World Cup qualifier

BRISBANE is poised to host its first Socceroos World Cup qualifier in more than five years.

Australia’s crucial clash against Thailand on September 5 has been pencilled in for Suncorp Stadium.

It’s the final match of the Socceroos’ group campaign and will likely decide whether Australia qualify directly for next year’s World Cup in Russia, have to rely on playoffs to get there or miss out altogether.

Including tonight’s clash against the United Arab Emirates at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, the Socceroos have four Asian Football Confederation third-round Group B matches remaining.

Australia is in third place in its group, three points adrift of first-placed Saudi Arabia and second-placed Japan.

The top two teams qualify for Russia, while the third-placed nation must navigate a series of playoffs to earn a Cup berth.


Suncorp Stadium last hosted a World Cup qualifier in 2012 when the Socceroos drew 1-1 with Japan.
The Courier-Mail can reveal that the Queensland Government has bid to host the Socceroos.

“Negotiations are commercial in confidence,” Tourism and Events Queensland corporate affairs group executive Megan Saunders said.

“But we have made an offer for a Socceroos match in good faith and we hope that FFA caters for Queensland soccer fans by staging a match in Queensland.”

Suncorp last hosted a World Cup qualifier in Brisbane was on June 12, 2012, when the Socceroos drew 1-1 with Japan in front of 40,189 people.

That was on the road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Since that match, the Socceroos have played a further nine World Cup qualifiers on home soil. Including tonight’s game, there will be two more played – one will be in Sydney, the other in Adelaide – before the Australia-Thailand clash.

Suncorp Stadium is not the only venue under consideration for the Australia-Thailand battle, but there is a justified sense Queensland supporters are long overdue.

In a good sign for Brisbane’s chances of hosting the match, Suncorp Stadium general manager Alan Graham will be a guest of FFA at tonight’s game in Sydney.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/football/socceroos/suncorp-stadium-bid-to-host-crucial-socceroos-world-cup-qualifier/news-story/f79dfa97300496967442a2cbae8e0cca

Surely we want to send the Thais somewhere colder? There's a good chance we'll still need all three points by this stage.

Play it in Canberra, guaranteed maximum temperature of 3℃.

Speaking as someone who'd love to go to that Thailand game, please don't play at Suncorp. It's during NRL season and Suncorp honestly don't give a shit about the state of the field for football.

3 at the back works in patches. Smith and Leckie are the right wingbacks. 

Tonight you could see Irvine and Troisi much further up allowing Milligan and Jedinak space. 

In future matches I'd like to see Troisi up front, Rogic in his position, Mooy next to Jedinak being allowed more space and Milligan in Wright's spot.

Milligan is suspended for the next game. Can we name separate Saudi/ Brazil and Confederation Cup squads?

I would imagine so yes