The Socceroos will still be bitterly disappointed after failing to auto-qualify for the World Cup after losing to Japan. They now have to brush themselves off and finish this stage of qualifying against Saudi Arabia.
While this is essentially a dead rubber with Saudi Arabia already qualified, the Socceroos will need to test their combinations and give some youngsters a chance ahead of the do-or-die playoff leg.
Australia will play either UAE, Iraq or Lebanon at the beginning of June in a one-off playoff match. Win that and then they have to get through the fifth-placed South American side.
Kick-off for the Socceroos vs Saudi Arabia game at King Abudullah Sports City is scheduled for Wednesday morning, March 30 at 5am AEDT.
That’s 4am AEST for those in Queensland, 5:30am ACDT for South Australians and 2am AWST for those in Western Australia.
Channel Ten and 10play have the rights for Socceroos friendlies and World Cup qualifying games.
Channel 10 can be found on free-to-air television or if you’d prefer to stream the action you can find the match on the 10 Play app which is available on mobile devices, internet browser or through various smart TVs.
| Name | Club, Country | ‘A’ Caps (Goals) |
| Nathaniel ATKINSON | Heart of Midlothian, Scotland | 0 (0) |
| Aziz BEHICH | Giresunspor, Turkey | 48 (2) |
| Martin BOYLE | Al-Faisaly, Saudi Arabia | 14 (5) |
| Nicholas D’AGOSTINO | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | 0 (0) |
| Milos DEGENEK | Columbus Crew, USA | 35 (1) |
| Mitchell DUKE | Fagiano Okayama, Japan | 17 (7) |
| Bruno FORNAROLI | Perth Glory FC, Australia | 0 (0) |
| Denis GENREAU | Toulouse FC, France | 1 (0) |
| Craig GOODWIN | Adelaide United FC, Australia | 7 (1) |
| Rhyan GRANT | Sydney FC, Australia | 20 (1) |
| Ajdin HRUSTIC | Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany | 14 (2) |
| Jackson IRVINE | FC St. Pauli, Germany | 45 (6) |
| James JEGGO | KAS Eupen, Belgium | 13 (0) |
| Fran KARACIC | Brescia Calcio, Italy | 7 (1) |
| Joel KING | Odense Boldklub, Denmark | 1 (0) |
| Mathew LECKIE | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 69 (13) |
| Awer MABIL | Kasimpasa SK, Turkey | 23 (6) |
| Jamie MACLAREN* | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 21 (8) |
| Connor METCALFE | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 2 (0) |
| Andrew REDMAYNE (Gk) | Sydney FC, Australia | 2 (0) |
| Tomas ROGIC | Celtic FC, Scotland | 53 (10) |
| Kye ROWLES | Central Coast Mariners FC, Australia | 0 (0) |
| Mathew RYAN (Gk) | Real Sociedad, Spain | 69 (0) |
| Trent SAINSBURY | KV Kortrijk, Belgium | 58 (4) |
| Gianni STENSNESS | Viking FK, Denmark | 0 (0) |
| Marco TILIO | Melbourne City FC, Australia | 1 (0) |
| Daniel VUKOVIC (Gk) | NEC Nijmegen, Netherlands | 4 (0) |
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
I know the game means nothing, but hypothetically what if Australia plays poorly and loses by 2-3 goals? Surely arnie does the right thing and steps aside
Hudddo
Roar Rookie
The answer to your question is who cares? If it's the only positive to arnies tenure I can get a full night's sleep with him at the wheel.
Bludger
Guest
Yup, strictly the over 32 year olds for Arnie.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The sensible thing would be to give other players a go, but we are talking Arnie here.
Tm
Guest
I read the title as what time do socceroos lose and how to watch them lose :unhappy:
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Nah, Saudis have already qualified, so it's really a bit of a practice match for both teams.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
I'm expecting a thumping here, Saudis will tear the ass out of this Socceroo squad. The boys will be on the dumps after failure to beat Japan - their heads will be down and confidence low. Plus Arnie will be putting out a squad with tactics that will be 2nd rate.