Sitting third in Group B, one point off second-place as the third phase of AFC World Cup qualification enters the home straight, the Socceroos find themselves walking a tightrope as they prepare for pivotal games against Vietnam and Oman. Not helping their precarious position is the absence of Graham Arnold who will miss at least the first of four crucial upcoming fixtures that will likely come to define perceptions of his coaching career.
Wins against Vietnam in Melbourne on Thursday night and Oman next week, along with victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in the next international window, would guarantee the Socceroos an automatic qualification slot for Qatar 2022 and avoid a sudden-death playoff against a South American nation. Alternatively, as unpalatable such a playoff is, a win over Oman, even in the event that wins over Japan and/or Saudi Arabia are not forthcoming in March, would go a long way to ensuring that the Socceroos would not suffer the ignominy of falling into fourth and missing out entirely.
