Australia vs Saudi Arabia

The stakes are high for Australia and Saudi Arabia as they lock horns in a mouth-watering 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Australia’s bid to qualify for a sixth consecutive World Cup hangs by a thread amid a woeful start to their qualifying Group C campaign. The Socceroos have only won once in four matches (D2, L1), courtesy of a 3-1 home triumph against sub-par China in round three. However, they have only netted one goal in three remaining qualifying matches, casting significant doubt on their lofty ambitions. The impending home return should encourage manager Tony Popovic, as his men have racked up three multi-goal margin victories across their last four World Cup qualifiers on home turf (L1). It’s also worth noting that they only conceded twice during that sequence.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia’s Group C journey was off to an underwhelming start as they shared the spoils with Indonesia in a 1-1 home draw. They defeated sub-par China 2-1 in round two to get back on track. However, they’ve since drawn a blank in back-to-back qualifiers, including a scoreless stalemate against Saudi Arabia in the reverse fixture. Confidence stems from the Green Falcons’ outstanding form on the road, with Herve Renard’s side going unbeaten on their last seven international travels, friendlies included (W5, D2). Defensive solidity has been the backbone of that success, as witnessed by five clean sheets across those seven games.