Tournament: World Cup Qualification AFC
Date & Kick-Off Time: 2024.09.05, 06:10
Australia will host Bahrain in the first round of the AFC World Cup Qualification on September 5, 2024. As one of Asia’s strongest teams, Australia will look to start their qualification campaign with a convincing win, while Bahrain will aim to surprise the hosts with a determined performance.
Key Statistics and Trends
- Australia: Has won 4 consecutive matches and kept clean sheets in all of them.
- Bahrain: Is unbeaten in their last 4 matches.
- First-Half Performance: Australia wins the first half in 80% of their matches, while Bahrain does so in 33%.
- Scoring Streak: Australia has scored at least once in their last 13 matches.
Possible Line-Ups
Australia:
- Goalkeeper: Gauci
- Defenders: Behich, Burgess, Circati, Jones
- Midfielders: Leckie, Baccus, Irvine, Boyle
- Forwards: Yengi, Taggart
Bahrain:
- Goalkeeper: Lutfalla
- Defenders: Ali Hassan, Al-Hayam, Baker, Sayed
- Midfielders: Al-Aswad, Haram, Marhoon, Al-Shaikh
- Forwards: Abdul-Jabbar, Ali Madan
Team Overview and Form
Australia ("The Socceroos"):
Australia has established itself as one of the dominant forces in Asian football since moving from the Oceania confederation. They regularly qualify for the World Cup and won the 2015 Asian Cup on home soil. The Socceroos come into this match on the back of a strong run, with 4 consecutive wins and no goals conceded. They also had a solid performance in the Asian Cup earlier this year, where they reached the quarter-finals.
Bahrain ("The Pearl Divers"):
Bahrain, while not yet a World Cup qualifier, has shown steady improvement in recent years. They won the 2019 Persian Gulf Cup and performed decently in the 2024 Asian Cup, advancing from the group stage before losing to Japan. Bahrain's qualification campaign has been consistent, with victories over Nepal and strong results against Yemen and the UAE.
Head-to-Head Matches
Australia has won all four previous encounters between the two teams, underlining their dominance in this matchup.
Tactical Analysis and Predictions
- Australia: The Socceroos will look to use their home advantage and strong defensive organization to control the game. With Leckie and Irvine in midfield and Taggart leading the attack, Australia will aim to dominate possession and create plenty of goal-scoring opportunities.
- Bahrain: Bahrain will likely adopt a more defensive approach, looking to soak up pressure and hit Australia on the counter-attack through their pacey forwards, Abdul-Jabbar and Ali Madan.
Betting Prediction
Australia is the clear favorite, and given their current form and head-to-head dominance, a win with a -1.5 goal handicap is a solid betting option, with odds of 1.68.
Prediction: Australia to win with a -1.5 goal handicap (odds: 1.68).
Copyright Notice:
Datavictory copyrights this specification. No part of this specification may be reproduced in any form or means, without the prior written consent of Datavictory.
Link:
