AFC World Cup Qualifying Playoff: UAE vs Australia, Best Betting Value

Winner Advances to Intercontinental Playoff vs Peru

Socceroos Eying Fifth Consecutive World Cup

The two third-place teams from AFC World Cup Qualifying round three, UAE and Australia, meet in a high-stakes playoff on Tuesday in Qatar. Peru awaits the winner of the match in an intercontinental playoff for a World Cup berth on June 13th. The UAE vs Australia odds heavily favors the Socceroos to advance as they’re priced at -120 to win in 90 minutes and -230 to qualify.

UAE vs Australia

Date, time:
Location: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al-Rayyan, Qatar

Head-to-Head

All Meetings:

  • Jan 2011: UAE 0-0 Australia
  • Oct 2014: UAE 0-0 Australia
  • Jan 2015: Australia 2-0 UAE
  • Sep 2016: UAE 0-1 Australia
  • Mar 2017: Australia 2-0 UAE
  • Jan 2019: UAE 1-0 Australia

These teams first met in 2011 friendly that finished in a scoreless draw. The UAE vs Australia series is currently led 3-1 by Australia, with two draws.

UAE got their first win over Australia in the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 on home soil. Striker Ali Mabkhout scored the only goal of the match, which was also UAE’s first-ever goal vs Australia in six matches.

UAE’s Strong Defense

  • WCQ Third Round Results: 3-4-3, 12 pts

UAE closed out the third round of AFC Qualifying with a signature 1-0 win over Heung-Min Son and South Korea. Harib Al-Maazmi scored the goal that locked in third place for UAE and sent them to the playoff vs Australia for the first time since 2001.

Looking for a first World Cup appearance since 1990, UAE was solid in the third round. They kept each and every match close and never lost by more than a one-goal margin. Ali Mabkhout is also the top scorer in the 2022 AFC Qualifiers with 14 goals in 14 matches.

The defense has been key for the UAE as they conceded just seven goals in ten, third-round matches. If they can contain Australia, they’ll be one step away from the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Australia Missing Two Key Players

  • WCQ Third Round Results: 4-3-3, 15 pts

Australia has dealt with some significant injuries over the past year that have hampered their World Cup chances. Talented center-back Harry Souttar is still recovering from an ACL injury but they’ve finally got close to a full-strength squad.

Unfortunately, Celtic playmaker Tom Rogic withdrew from the squad ahead of qualifiers and it’ll be difficult for coach Graham Arnold to replace him. The Socceroos did win their warm-up friendly vs Jordan 2-1 but went winless in the final three matches of the third round of AFC qualifying.

The Socceroos can light up the scoreboard as they scored the joint-most goals in the third round of AFC Qualifiers. For FIFA World Cup betting odds, Australia has been a good pick over the last couple of decades as they haven’t missed out on a World Cup since 2002.

What to Watch For

This UAE vs Australia match will be played in the sweltering Summer heat of Qatar but worry not because Ahmad bin Ali Stadium has state-of-the-art cooling technology. It’ll also be played at 9 pm local time to avoid the daytime heat, so the conditions shouldn’t necessarily affect either team.

UAE have long odds to win, at +330 and they’ve struggled to score in previous meetings vs Australia. A draw, which has happened two of the six times these teams have met, is listed at +245 odds.

Mabkhout is the focal point for UAE and he has 80 goals in 104 matches. Midfielder Omar Abdulrahman has 11 goals in 70 but the rest of the roster has just 32 goals combined. If Australia can shut Mabkhout down, they’ll have a solid shot at advancing.

The over/under goal total is set at 2, with the over currently at -130 odds. Australia alone scored two or more goals in four of their ten third-round matches. The Socceroos do have a solid goalkeeper in Matthew Ryan and a handful of players who can score goals.

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