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Australia will welcome Saudi Arabia to the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. Both teams have three wins in four games in the competition and will look to improve upon that record.
The Socceroos suffered a 1-0 home loss to Bahrain in their campaign opener and are unbeaten in their last three games. They played Japan in their previous game in the qualifiers and were held to a 1-1 draw.
Interestingly, both teams registered themselves on the scoresheet through own goals. Shogo Taniguchi was at fault for an own goal for the Socceroos, while Japan equalized in the 76th minute through Cameron Burgess' own goal.
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The visitors are winless in their last two games in the qualifiers, suffering one defeat. They failed to score for the second consecutive match in their previous outing as they played out a goalless draw at home against Bahrain.
Australia vs Saudi Arabia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 10 times in all competitions, with six meetings taking place in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The hosts have the upper hand in these meetings with five wins. The Green Falcons have two wins and three games have ended in draws.
- Their last four meetings have taken place in the World Cup qualifiers. The visitors were unbeaten in their two meetings in the qualifiers for the 2022 edition of the competition, keeping clean sheets in both.
- Socceroos have suffered two defeats in their last 12 games in the World Cup qualifiers, with one of them coming against the visitors.
- Saudi Arabia are winless in their last five appearances in the World Cup qualifiers, suffering two losses.
- The hosts have scored four goals in four games in the qualifiers while conceding thrice. The Green Falcons, on the other hand, have scored thrice while conceding four times.
Australia vs Saudi Arabia Prediction
The Socceroos have an unbeaten home record in this fixture, recording three wins in four games. They have scored at least three goals in these wins and will look to build on that form. They have won four of their last five home games in the World Cup qualifiers, keeping three clean sheets.
The Green Falcons have two wins in their last seven games in all competitions, with both registered in away games. They failed to score in their two qualifiers last month and will look to return to goalscoring ways.
While both teams have one win in the qualifiers thus far, considering the home advantage for the Socceroos and better record in this fixture, the hosts are expected to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Australia 2-1 Saudi Arabia
Australia vs Saudi Arabia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Australia to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: First Team to Score - Australia
Bold Tip: Craig Goodwin to score or assist any time - Yes
