World Cup 2006 Preview - Australia

							Title:
World Cup 2006 Preview - Australia

Word Count:
464

Summary:
After a 32 year absence from the fi
nals, Australia finally overcame th
eir play-off hoodoo to qualify for
Germany. Play off agony to Iran in
1997 and Uruguay in 2001 was vanqui
shed last November as the Australia
ns again faced Uruguay and beat the
m in a penalty shoot-out.
Keywords:
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Article Body:
Outright Odds: 125/1
Group F Winners: 14/1

After a 32 year absence from the fi
nals, Australia finally overcame th
eir play-off hoodoo to qualify for
Germany. Play off agony to Iran in
1997 and Uruguay in 2001 was vanqui
shed last November as the Australia
ns again faced Uruguay and beat the
m in a penalty shoot-out. Middlesbr
ough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was
nearly taken off before the shoot-o
ut commenced, but two stunning save
s booked Australia_s World Cup place.

Under coach Guus Hiddink, Australia
 have progressed immensely. The for
mer South Korea coach and England t
arget took over from Frank Farina l
ast July and even though teams such
 as Fiji, Vanatu and Tahiti were br
ushed aside with ease, Hiddink succ
essfully completed what he called _
almost mission impossible_.

Australia netted 32 goals in seven
qualifying matches and even their t
wo-legged final against the Solomon
 Islands was a farce as they ran ou
t 7-0 winners in Sydney in the firs
t leg. Indeed, only fifth-placed So
uth American side Uruguay offered g
enuine competition, winning 1-0 in
Montevideo only for Australia to wi
n the return leg by the same scorel
ine and triumph on penalties.
When Australia switch to the Asian
qualifying zone after the finals th
e quality of opposition they face w
ill improve dramatically and will m
ake for a better team. Entry to thi
s year_s World Cup will be a step i
nto the unknown despite the squad a
ll having experience of European cl
ub football at some stage in their
careers.

Despite their lack of success as an
 international team, punters in the
 UK may be inclined to lump on the
Aussies due to their Premiership co
ntingent. Players such as Blackburn
 Rovers_ Brett Emerton, Everton_s T
im Cahill and Liverpool_s Harry Kew
ell will provide plenty of midfield
 class while Middlesbrough striker
and Australia captain Mark Viduka c
an be a frightening prospect when h
e_s in the mood.

While Kewell is capable of world cl
ass displays, as he showed in the s
econd leg against Uruguay after com
ing on as a substitute, there are q
uestion marks over the team as a wh
ole which should persuade you to in
vest your betting bank elsewhere.
There is plenty of flair going forw
ard but there is a telling lack of
pace in defence which will be Guus
Hiddink_s main cause for concern. F
ull back_s Tony Vidmar at 36 and Ke
vin Muscat at 32 switched to the Du
tch and Australian leagues respecti
vely to see out the end of their ca
reers while centre back Craig Moore
 is not noted for his lightening pa
ce either.

Recommended Bet
Australia are capable of causing an
 upset but they are likely to fall
just short of qualifying for the la
st 16. They could get their campaig
n off to a flying start with an ope
ning match victory over Japan in pr
eparation to switching to the Asian
 qualifying zone after the finals.
Australia to beat Japan @ 13/10