Three, four or six? You can bet the Socceroos will not wish to proceed with nothing to show from their clashes with Oman and Japan, so what is an acceptable points tally from two difficult looking fixtures?
Australia will first have to contend with the heat of Muscat when they take on an unpredictable Oman in their opening game of the final round of World Cup qualifying tonight.
The Omanis, of course, memorably beat the Socceroos the last time they met, winning 1-0 in the third round of qualifying last November.
Imad Al-Hosni scored the winner in that game and the Saudi-based marksman should once again prove the danger man up front, with Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi proving an equally key man between the posts.
They’ll go into tonight’s clash in a different frame of mind though, not least because Japan pummelled the Gulf side in Saitama just a few days ago.
And as Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill has pointed out, Oman are missing several important players through injury and suspension, with coach Paul Le Guen no doubt feeling the pressure even at this early stage.
Nevertheless, playing in the heat of the Arabian peninsula is no easy feat, particularly when home teams are prepared to sit back and hit on the counter.
And with Australia’s central defensive pairing still far from certain – Matthew Spiranovic was dreadful in the friendly against Denmark last week – Oman could prove a significant early test.
That may leave the Socceroos searching for maximum points in Brisbane and with the Samurai Blue in ominous early form, Osieck will be wary of the visit of Alberto Zaccheroni’s men.
The Italian has two of world football’s emerging superstars to call upon, and while Shinji Kagawa could be forgiven for having his mind on matters elsewhere as he finalises a move to Manchester United, the creative talent has the potential to expose Australia’s lack of pace with his penetrating runs and passes into space.
Keisuke Honda is an equally imposing presence in midfield or up front and where once the Japanese were renowned for their struggles in front of goal, both Kagawa and Honda know precisely how to find the back of the net.
Yet Japan rarely display their best form away from home and they won’t relish playing in front of a parochial crowd in Brisbane, even if interest in this game has been strangely subdued.
Four years ago a crowd of just under 75,000 turned out at the MCG – an early miscount saw it inadvertently reported as several thousand less – turned out to see two Tim Cahill goals fire Australia to a famous win over their regional foes.
But it’s been a slow-burn kind of interest building up for the match in Queensland, suggesting plenty of supporters preferred the edge-of-the-seat intensity of play-off ties over the fairer but less dramatic qualifying route Australia enjoys now.
Osieck won’t care about how his team gets to Brazil so long as it qualifies and he’s experienced enough to know there is plenty of time to recover from any early setbacks.
But he won’t want to start on the back foot, which begs the question of what exactly we should expect from the Socceroos both points and performance wise as World Cup qualifying campaign cranks back into gear.
Axelv
Guest
QSAF, Gold Coast United died because of people like you. The club had been facing issues and you buried your head in the sand singing lalala denying everything and that there were no problems. Look how it blew up in your face. You've go no-one to blame but yourself, either get over it or get off the forum.
Axelv
Guest
Just terrible.
Axelv
Guest
QSAF do you have rocks in your head? The FIFA dates are decided by FIFA. Not the FFA, not Uncle Frank, not the Australian Rugby Board. This was booked half a year ago, the responsibility and negligence lies with the stadium management.
Titus
Guest
75 000 lol! There will be 5-10 000 max plus a few poms already living or travelling here. If it was 75 000 you would already have serious ticketing issues.
super G
Guest
Probably not the best time for rugger-buggers to get on their soap box. You've got enough problems within your game to sort out at the moment. If you you are seriously claiming that the British Lions tour will bring more overseas supporters to Australia than the Asian Cup you're living in dreamland. The supporters Japan alone will bring in 2015 will be way more than anything a Lions tour can generate. 50 000 - 75 000 expected? A lot is "expected" these days of marketing,PR and spin.
super G
Guest
Quite confident then Fuss? I've got my fingers crossed and I'm hoping for the best but I'm also a realist. Past results only mean so much. Japan have never had a better oppurtunity to roll Australia than now. Kagawa is a freakishly good talent and player for player they are better than us at the moment. It's all about with which mentality they go into the match. Anything can happen on the night but if you don't sense just a little danger here you're missing something.
glacier
Guest
The Queensland Government (Anna Bligh) agreed a year ago to pay the Australian Rugby Union a large amount of money for 10 years I don't know how much) to host the first test each year at Suncorp of the new schedule of 3 test series in the June window against northern hemisphere sides - Wales 2012, the British Lions 2013, France 2014, nothing 2015 because of RWC in England, Ireland 2016, England 2017....and so on. The date of the Wales - Australia rugby test was publicised a year ago long before FIFA and the FFA settled in March on a date and location this year. If Frank Lowy knew anything outside of football he would have known that. It shows the total incompetence of the FFA to have selected Suncorp as the site for a world cup qualifier three days after the rugby test against Wales. Rugby has very long lead times. For example, the schedule of British Lions tour of Australia' next year (9 matches) was released 18 months ago and is expected to draw 50,000 to 75,000 supporters from the UK and Ireland - many more than will come from overseas for the Asian Football Championships in Australia 2015 and their spending will dwarf what is spent by overseas visitors for the AFC. An own goal from the FFA I think.
Matsu
Guest
Are you sure that data is all correct? Lawson Tama Stadium is in Fiji. . . . . . is there any reason why New Caledonia would play a game in Fiji?
Andy
Guest
We could actually win all these games. They're all winnable, even against Japan but realistically that won't happen. The Japanese have real quality. Myachi or however you spell it, Honda, Uchida etc. All young. All better than what we have. Hot weather might see us slip up. I think we'll get there. Osieck is a German. Zey no how to get sings done!
El Gamba
Roar Guru
Some good points, well written!
nordster
Guest
People in straya need crowd figures on any match report for some reason, even deserves its Own Line ... :)
Bondy
Guest
Cattery, I dont mean to sound pedantic but how could they count a crowd out of that , it looked like some of them just shot over the hill .
Bondy
Guest
Breifly Fuss didn't they change it too playing off against the Americas now, it use to be asia does that alternate !
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Mate - you have to turn off the caps lock, because it makes what you're writing look even more absurd than the actual content. Foxtel needs the A-League and the Socceroos, so your assertion is silly, and surely the FFA should take some responsibility for not making enough noise about it. You ever heard of a bloke called Frank Lowy? He's got clout, if he decides to use it.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"this doesn’t knock NZ out, they can still win the tournament and qualify for the Confed cup in Brazil 2013 right" ... NZ are out of the Confederations Cup. The winner of the Tahiti v New Caledonia will be Champions of Oceania & will represent OFC at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil. But, NZL can still make it to the World Cup. They will play 6 matches in a league system against NCL, SOL & TAH & whoever finishes top of the league will play the 4th CONCACAF nation for a place at Brazil 2014. Also, it will hit NZL finances because the loss deprives them of at least $1.3m, which the OFC representative nation will get for qualifying for the Confederations Cup. Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/7068672/All-Whites-stunned-2-0-by-New-Caledonia
Bondy
Guest
That is something that is bound to happen one day, imagine a Vanauatu or American Samoa at a fifa world cup.
Scott
Guest
BECAUSE FOXTEL, LIKE EVERY OTHER MURDOCH CONTROLLED COMPANY IN THIS COUNTRY, IS OUT TO DESTROY FOOTBALL IN AUSTRALIA AND THE FFA ARE TO GUTLESS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!
gah
Guest
Bahrain
Kasey
Guest
I know we shouldn't laugh at our Kiwi cousins, this reminds me all to well of the time we lost to NZ 1-0 in the 1998 OFC Nations cup final with a berth in the 99 confederations cup on the line at a time when the millions of dollars on Offer for qualifying would have been very welcom indeed. In fact such was the bad state of SocAus finances that the players were asked to fund their own travel down under from Europe if they wanted to play. IIRC only Scott Chipperfield did so. I consider this period to be the all time low for football in this country, at least in my lifetime. If I understand what Fuss was going on about before, this doesn't knock NZ out, they can still win the tournament and qualify for the Confed cup in Brazil 2013 right? Imagine if New Caledonia joined the illustrious company of Uruguay (Sth America), Japan (Asia), Mexico (Nth/Central America), Spain (World) & whoever wins the up-coming Euros,
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Yeah - it's very confusing this time. Pretty sure in the past, the OFC Nations Cup also doubles as the WCQs & the winner of the OFC Cup represents OFC in the Confed Cup & intercontinental playoff for the World Cup. This time they've changed the rules & the OFC Nations Cup winner only goes to the Confederations Cup. But, these same 4 nations, who competed in the Semi-Finals today - will play a league system (H&A) to decide who takes part in the intercontinental play-off with CONCACAF. The BIG - and, I mean BIG - news is that either Tahiti or New Caledonia will be making the trip to Brasil in 2013 to play in the Confederations Cup. This is massive news for football in the Pacific region. Next June, we will see either New Caledonia or Tahiti competing in a tournament with Brazil, Japan, Uruguay and the winners of the African Cup of Nations & Euro 2012! Massive news.