Australia vs China Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, October 10, 2024

Preview

• Date: Thursday, 10ᵗʰ October
• Kick-off time: 9:10 AM GMT
• Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia

Australia will welcome the Chinese National Football Team to kick off the October round of fixtures in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Both nations have contested two games in the third round so far. Unfortunately, Australia and China occupy the bottom two spots in Group C with the Australians sitting at the fifth spot while China is yet to open its account in the third round and is currently facing the wooden spoon. Australia vs China will be a key game in Group C in light of the qualification scenario ahead.

Australia’s recent form has certainly been filled with more positives than negatives. The country has managed four victories, one draw and just a single defeat in the last six matches. Regrettably for them, the draw and the loss have come up in round three of the AFC qualifiers. Australians breezed past the second round, winning Group I with 18 points from six games. The attacking output has dried up with the national team failing to find the back of the net in the last two matches. With eight matchdays still to go, Tony Popovic will be confident in guiding his team to the next round.

The latest encounters with China paint a dire and miserable picture for the national team. In the last six outings, the Chinese national side has accumulated just one win to go with three defeats and two draws. One of the losses included a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Japan. China barely managed to move past the second round and has already faced the harsh realities of round three. The 91ˢᵗ ranked country in the world will be eager to break its losing streak of three games against Australia.

Australia National Football Team News

Tony Popovic will have his first taste of managing the Australian National Team against China. The supporters will be curious to witness a change and evolution in the tactics and formation under Popovic. As far as absentees are concerned, Alessandro Circati and Conor Metcalfe will not be featured due to their respective injury issues. Circati is ruled out for the season due to an ACL injury.

China National Football Team News

Branko Ivankovic will be under tremendous pressure to deliver amidst the poor run of form of his side. The Croatian coach is expected to go in with a conservative approach and aim to seize the limited opportunities. His squad for the game against Australia does not have any injured players which will boost his selection choices.

Australia vs China Predicted Lineups

Australia National Football Team Predicted Lineup (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Ryan

Defenders: Miller, Souttar, Burgess, Behich

Midfielders: Silvera, Irvine, Baccus, Goodwin

Forwards: Irankunda, Duke

China National Football Team Predicted Lineup (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Wang

Defenders: Gao, Browning, Zhu, L. Li

Midfielders: Abduweli, Y. Li, Jiang, Xie

Forwards: Conceicao, Wu Lei

Australia vs China H2H Record

Australia and China last met each other during the AFC Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Overall, in the last five head-to-head meetings between Australia and China, two have gone in favour of the hosts with the visitors also winning twice and one match ended in a draw.

Key Players to Watch in Australia vs China

Nestory Irankunda (Australia)

Irankunda has gained a worldwide reputation as one of the most talented youngsters in football currently. His stunning displays with Adelaide United from 2021-2024 earned him the big move to Bayern Munich in the summer. The 18-year-old has settled in well in Munich with three goals in six games already. Irankunda has already been assigned the role of a starting striker in the Australian National Team. The Bayern Munich winger debuted for his country in June and has registered a goal and an assist so far.

Matthew Ryan (Australia)

With the football community eager to tune into the brilliance of the Australian youth, it will be important to not forget the likes of experienced campaigners like Matthew Ryan. The 32-year-old is one of the several names in the Australian squad to be involved in European club football. Ryan is a part of the Roma side in Serie A and is the starting goalkeeper for his nation. He led his team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Matthew Ryan is fourth in the list of the most appearances as the captain of the Australian National Team.

Australia vs China Prediction

The two countries will head into this fixture on the back of a respective disappointing run of results. The Chinese are enduring woeful defensive outcomes while the Australians are experiencing their own share of failures in front of goal. A draw looks to be the most likely outcome on Thursday afternoon.

Predicted Score: Australia 1-1 China

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