Australia-23rd (2nd Asia)
Oman-107th (13th Asia)
Saudi Arabia-92nd (9th Asia)
Thailand-119th (17th Asia)
Schedule
September 2, 2011
- Thailand at Australia
- Saudi Arabia at Oman
- Oman at Thailand
- Australia at Saudi Arabia
- Oman at Australia
- Saudi Arabia at Thailand
- Thailand at Saudi Arabia
- Australia at Oman
- Oman at Saudi Arabia
- Australia at Thailand
- Saudi Arabia at Australia
- Thailand at Oman
Australia
- 2011 to date: 7-1-3
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 10-3-4
- vs. Group Opponents: 5-1-2
- 2011 to date: 4-0-3
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 4-2-2
- vs. Group Opponents: 4-18-4
- 2011 to date: 2-4-2
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 8-3-5
- vs. Group Opponents: 25-3-3
- 2011 to date: 2-0-2
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 3-5-2
- vs. Group Opponents: 4-16-1
Australia
One of the newest members of the AFC, having moved from the Oceania zone in 2006, Australia has quickly vaulted to the top of the Asian zone, having been the top finisher in 2010 qualifying and just recently finishing second to Japan at the 2011 Asian Cup. Stylistically, Australia is very different from many other teams in Asia. Where most Asian teams place an emphasis on ball control and time of possession, Australia is content to play more of a European-style, counter-attacking and sacrificing possession for scoring chances. This contrast in style makes for very intriguing matchups as a spectator, as you don't usually see drastic clashes in style outside of the World Cup Finals or the Confederations Cup. Biggest challenge for Australia this campaign will be in roster selection. Many of the stalwarts on the national team are in to their 30's now and are perhaps passing the prime of the careers. Most notable case of this is longtime goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer who is 38 and will be 41 by the time the Finals come around. No other goalkeeper called within the last year for Australia has played more then 4 games internationally.
Oman
Another possible sleeper in the Asian zone, Oman has not lost a game since October 2010, in a friendly to Belarus. They hold an abysmal record againt group opponents, thanks in large part to a 1-13-2 record against neighbour Saudi Arabia, but it is worth noting that the win and 2 draws are the results of the last 3 matches played, and they have not lost to Saudi Arabia since early 2004. Oman's first game in this group will be against Saudi Arabia and if they can continue the 3-game unbeaten streak against them, they could be poised to pull an upset in this group. Best player for Oman: goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, who plays for Wigan in the English Premier League and is one of the only Oman players based in Europe.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia boasts one of the proudest football traditions in the world, and has typically the class of the field of all the Gulf nations. They had a string of 4 straight World Cup finals appearances snapped in 210 qualifying by Bahrain. Since 1984, they've hoisted the Asian Cup three times and finished as runners-up an additional three times. In spite of this they've fallen on hard times of late, falling to 9th in the continent and possessing a losing record in the 2011 calendar year. One factor that is certain to boost their confidence is their record against this group, particularly Oman and Thailand. Of 31 games against their group opponents, only 3 times have they been on the losing end. Regardless of current struggles, that is an impressive feat will surely make their opponents nervous about facing the Saudi team. One thing they certainly aren't short on is experience. No less then 7 members of their 2011 Asian Cup team have made at least 50 appearances for the national team.
Thailand
I don't like to say a team doesn't have a chance in a group since a lifetime of following sport has taught me that anything can happen, but I'm entirely confident in saying Thailand will not be featuring Round 4 of Asian qualifying. October 2008 was the last time in which they defeated a team currently ranked higher then them (North Korea). They're hopelessly outclassed by both Australia and Saudi Arabia and the one team closest to them in ranking (Oman), defeated them twice at this stage in the last qualifying campaign. Thailand should put up little fight in this group and all the other group members will be disappointed if they do not take 6 of 6 points from Thailand in their matches.
September Games:
Game 1
Thailand at Australia
September 2, 2011
Time: 6:00 am EDT
Location: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
Game 2
Saudi Arabia at Oman
September 2, 2011
Time: 11:00 am EDT
Location: Seeb Stadium, Muscat, Oman
Game 3
Oman at Thailand
September 6, 2011
Time: 7:30 am EDT
Location: Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
Game 4
Australia at Saudi Arabia
September 6, 2011
Time: 1:30 pm EDT
Location: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
2 big games for September and as you'll see develop as a trend, they're the two not involving Thailand. Saudi Arabia's visit to Oman will be the first. 13 career wins in 16 matches for Saudi Arabia against their neighbour means we little when the last win came 7 years ago. Saudi Arabia desperately needs a win with Australia visiting 4 days later. Oman can relax slightly knowing Thailand immediately follows but a victory over Saudi Arabia could open a sizeable gap between the Gulf rivals.
Australia-Saudi Arabia is not the just one of the biggest games in this group but in world qualifying as a whole. On paper, Australia will be favoured but as it usually does for them, travel concerns will play a role, having such a short turnaround between their game in Brisbane and their game in Dammam. Against a fatigued Australian side, Saudi Arabia could pull the upset on home soil.
Post-September Standing Predictions:
Australia-4 pts
Oman-4 pts
Saudi Arabia-2 pts
Thailand-0 pts
No comments:
Post a Comment