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AUSTRALIA FACING BIG HURDLE FOR QATAR
Australia have a lot of work to do if they want to be one of the 32 teams at the World Cup 2022 edition in Qatar. The Australians began the third round of the qualifiers in the Asian region impressively with three straight wins in Group B, but results have been average at best since those three games thereby putting their place at the Qatar 2022 tournament in serious doubt.
Apart from Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China PR and Oman are the other teams in Group B. After a run of three straight wins to start their campaign in the group, the Australians have picked up just six points from five matches with a record of one win, three draws and one defeat. They picked up three more points in the first three games than in the next five games to show how the standards have dropped for them.
As things stand in Group B, Australia are in third spot and three points behind Japan in second spot with two games left. Also, the Australians are four points adrift of leaders Saudi Arabia.
Australia have a big game at home to Japan next month and the result could go a long way to determine their fate in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup tournament later this year. A win over the Japanese will take them above their opponents into second place ahead of their final group game at the home of leaders Saudi Arabia.
Australian fans would be hoping that Saudi Arabia are already through to the tournament by the time they face them. The Saudis need to beat hosts China PR in their next game to seal a place in Qatar.
Only the top two teams in the group qualify for Qatar 2022 automatically. The third team will face the third team from Group A to determine who will represent the region at the inter-confederation playoffs ahead of Qatar 2022.