Socceroos set to face Japan
June 27, 2008

AFTER surviving the group of death, Australia became a serious live chance of qualifying for their second successive World Cup finals.

Asia's No.2 ranked team Japan, dark horses Uzbekistan and two teams ranked outside the world's top 70 - Bahrain and Qatar - stand between the Socceroos and a spot at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa after the draw for the final stage of Asian qualifying.

It was a draw that could have been far worse.

The Socceroos dodged Iran - their 1997 nemesis in World Cup qualifying - and regular World Cup finalists Saudi Arabia in their five-team group.

As No.1 seeds, Australia also avoided being drawn against second-seeded South Korea, leaving the Socceroos' Group A an easier group on paper than Group B which the other three Asian powerhouses find themselves in.

Only the top two teams in each group qualify automatically as Asia's representatives for the World Cup finals.

Uzbekistan, who impressed in the previous stage of qualifying, will be Australia's opening match opponents away on September 10 - most likely in that nation's capital Tashkent.

Australia will have the luxury of playing three of their final four group matches at home, with Football Federation Australia yet to decide where the home games will be played.

But the Socceroos' final match will be at home to Japan on June 17 - a blockbuster against a team they beat in the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany and a match which could have a huge bearing on both teams' qualifying hopes.

It will add to the nations' growing rivalry within Asia, as the Japanese avenged their defeat in Germany by knocking the Socceroos out of last year's Asian Cup at the quarter-final stage.

More comforting for the Socceroos will be home and away showdowns with Qatar, whom they twice beat convincingly in the previous qualifying stage to finish top of what had been dubbed the "group of death".

The Socceroos also have recent experience against Bahrain, beating them during 2007 Asian Cup qualifying.

Uzbekistan, who scored 15 goals in the previous six-match qualifying stage and impressed most Asian football watchers, loom as the major stumbling block to a Socceroos' top two finish.

The Uzbeks have won six of their past seven internationals - their 4-0 loss earlier this month to Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifying dead rubber coming with most of their best players missing.

The teams that finish third in each group get another chance to make the World Cup finals, playing off over two legs with the winner to play the Oceania champion for a spot in South Africa.

The first match day is on September 6, but the top-seeded Socceroos will get a bye before starting their campaign four days later.

North Korea and the United Arab Emirates join South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia in Group B.


2008

Sept 6: Bahrain v Japan, Qatar v Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia v Iran, UAE v North Korea
Sept 10: Uzbekistan v Australia, Qatar v Bahrain, North Korea v South Korea, UAE v Saudi Arabia
Oct 15: Australia v Qatar, Japan v Uzbekistan, South Korea v UAE, Iran v North Korea
Nov 19: Qatar v Japan, Bahrain v Australia, UAE v Iran, Saudi Arabia v South Korea

2009

Feb 11: Uzbekistan v Bahrain, Japan v Australia, North Korea v Saudi Arabia, Iran v South Korea
March 28: Japan v Bahrain, Uzbekistan v Qatar, Iran v Saudi Arabia, North Korea v UAE
April 1: Australia v Uzbekistan, Bahrain v Qatar, South Korea v North Korea, Saudi Arabia v UAE
June 6: Qatar v Australia, Uzbekistan v Japan, UAE v South Korea, North Korea v Iran
June 10: Japan v Qatar, Australia v Bahrain, Iran v UAE, South Korea v Saudi Arabia
June 17: Bahrain v Uzbekistan, Australia v Japan, Saudi Arabia v North Korea, South Korea v Iran