Socceroos Can’t Afford to Falter against Syria
It’s been more than a decade since Australia’s national football team switched from the Oceania Football Confederation to compete in the Asian Football Confederation, and in that time the Socceroos have given Aussie fans plenty of reason to believe it was the right decision. The team qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times consecutively since 2006, and in 2015 Ange Postecoglou’s men won the AFC Asian Cup at home.
But past glories are old news, and right now, the Socceroos need to focus on the 2018 World Cup, and two qualifiers against Syria, starting on Thursday. The first match is Syria’s ‘home’ game, which is being played in Malacca, due to the on-going Syrian civil war. Australia will host the return leg next Tuesday in Sydney, but first the team will have to see off the Syrians in tropical Malaysian heat.
After 7 wins from 8 matches in the second round of qualifiers in April, the Socceroos progressed to Round 3, where they managed 5 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss in 10 matches, finishing third in Group B behind Japan and Saudi Arabia, who thus qualified for 2018. The Australians, on the other hand, now have to beat Syria to progress to the inter-confederation playoffs, so just to stay in the hunt for a World Cup berth, they need an overall win from these two legs.
Betting Sites Offering Socceroos Odds-On
If online sports betting sites are to be given any credence, Australian soccer fans have nothing to worry about. The Socceroos are odds-on to win on Thursday, with prices hovering around the $0.70/$0.80 mark. The Syrians are at $2.40 and above, with the rare site offering them at close to $5.00. But odds are one thing; what it really boils down to is the performance on the field and you can get your wagers in now at Crownbet, if you think you know who will come out on top.
The Socceroos have been dominating games under Postecoglou, and his switch to a three-man defence has been effective tactically. Syria play a very defensive game, relying on just a three-man attack whenever a rare opportunity presents itself, which is when they can be very dangerous. The Aussies will have to work hard to get anything past Syrian keeper Ibrahim Alma, and striker Firas al-Khatib will be a threat whenever he gets a gap.
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