Can Australia beat the 5th place Sth american side and qualify for Germany 2006

[WALDO]

G'day mate, a clean fresh air outback kicks ass over a stinky big over populated city but why go to the outback when we have them in our backyards??

Well actually havnt seen my pet kangaroo since that croc moved in my backyard.

Anyways, have to go throw another shrimp on the barbie.Mic is that you? If it is, we need you over in New Orleans to keep these crocodile's from the locals. Even better yet, will you make some food and clothing out of these critters. Don't forget to bring your favorite knive. :cool:

Lates mate!

[MVFC]

Bloody oath.

[Liban]

If they cant beat the likes of Tunisia why should they be expected to beat a Conmebol team over 2 legs??
Having a part-time coach is a mistake .Hiddink will be totally focused on PSV.

the "likes" of Tunisia? Tunisia are the defending champions of Africa, have been to the last two world cups eliminating teams like Egypt and the Ivory coast from contention, what is Australia besides a mediocre skilled but highly athletic team? nothing...Australia is far too overrated in world football, they have joined the AFC I doubt they will cause a major ruckus even within Asia

[Champagne Football]

the "likes" of Tunisia? Tunisia are the defending champions of Africa, have been to the last two world cups eliminating teams like Egypt and the Ivory coast from contention, what is Australia besides a mediocre skilled but highly athletic team? nothing...Australia is far too overrated in world football, they have joined the AFC I doubt they will cause a major ruckus even within Asia
I wouldn't actually call a current ranking of 57 in the world being "overrated". :rolleyes:

BTW, Australia and Tunisia drew 1-1 at the 2004 Olympics.
The previous time the two teams met was back in 1997, when Australia beat Tunisia 3-0 in Tunis.

[Champagne Football]

I seem to remember that Saudi Arabia lost 8-0 to Germany in WC 2002, so maybe they are overrated? (At least Australia scored a few times against Germany in the Confed Cup. ;) )

[Andy TAUS]

they have joined the AFC I doubt they will cause a major ruckus even within AsiaLiban, perhaps I can remind you of this assertion by you, later on in the next couple of years, especially when AUS play Saudi Arabia in the ensuing AFC competitions. :)

[Liban]

I seem to remember that Saudi Arabia lost 8-0 to Germany in WC 2002, so maybe they are overrated? (At least Australia scored a few times against Germany in the Confed Cup. ;) )

aaaah, only Germans can dangle this bit to our faces, why cant others (iranians, australians, etc) understand?

Keep in mind you last met Saudi Arabia in a confed cup too, You lost 1-0 btw ;)

Andy TAUS, I'll be here :)

[Champagne Football]

aaaah, only Germans can dangle this bit to our faces, why cant others (iranians, australians, etc) understand?

Keep in mind you last met Saudi Arabia in a confed cup too, You lost 1-0 btw ;)

Andy TAUS, I'll be here :)
LOL, I wasn't going to bring up that 1-0 loss unless you remembered! :D

[Andy TAUS]

Andy TAUS, I'll be here :)Liban, I'll be there and catch you then :D

[simonb_nyc]

I would love Australia to qualify for a World Cup and do well. It would be great to see "non-traditional" teams win a World Cup. Unfortunately Australia's lack of experience in playing "quality" opposition may be a hindrance even though the talent is there.

[Zviggy]

simonb_nyc, i agree 100%. Im a big fan of non-traditional teams in the world cup and always try to cheer them on against the powerhouses.

[MVFC]

I would love Australia to qualify for a World Cup and do well. It would be great to see "non-traditional" teams win a World Cup. Unfortunately Australia's lack of experience in playing "quality" opposition may be a hindrance even though the talent is there.

Mate, if we had Americas rout to the Worlds Cup we wouldnt miss one.

It must be hard to beat the might of Panama & Guatemala...

[Auxodium]

Frankly, I'm getting tired of you ignorant S.Americans who think your the toughest and best group. Have you forgotten Europe? The only reason you can talk big, is because of Brazil & Argentina. After that there is a considerable slide. You got Columbia and Paraguay. Slightly below the level of USA & Mexico in my opinion. Then you got Uruaguay and Chile. Playing slightly below Columbia and Paraguay. After that you got Peru, Venuzuela, and Bolivia. With respect to their people, those teams are not good.

So yes, the S.Americans are the second toughest group, but the talent isn't evenly distributed. S.Americans 5th place team maybe only slightly better than the Aussies. But if the players are anything as ignorant as they are on BS then it will be the Socceroos who will be flying to Germany in 2006.

i think that is the real shame about these confederations that create an overinflated opinion of them. Only the OFC reputation is accurate! :D CONCACAF would have to be the second weakest due to 2 nations propping it up, yes US and Mexico and Canada is tagging close behind so i suppose 2 and a half. (Canada start improving and i will change it to 3!!!) :D the others have 4-5 strong nations and the rest are weak but UEFA is different as that would have to be the most toughest and most strongest confederation to qualify in and play against.

the problem is that Australia only REALLY qualifies based on the South American play off which means 2 huge games every 4 years whereas Uruguay have has 18 + 2 and other internationals make it more than 20 important matches compared to 2 + the biennial confed cup matches so 5 max. This is why we are going to the AFC, to get more game time, better qualify and improve our technical side of the game in the field of coaching and technique.

i remember the US of A struggled for many years and finally with a restructure like Australia now have established themselves as a competitive nation. The only difference is that they did not have to change confeds to do so. Australia must do so to grow.

[Champagne Football]

i remember the US of A struggled for many years and finally with a restructure like Australia now have established themselves as a competitive nation. The only difference is that they did not have to change confeds to do so.
Having fifteen times our population doesn't hurt either! ;)

[balla]

Australia will win I guarantee it.I said who ever played the 2nd leg at home would get through and now that Australia has it I know they will qualify. :)

[Killboard]

Well, the 2nd game in Austalia is a real adventage for the 5th team of SA.
We must go to Australia and play, it´s just 1 fly. But Australia must go to SA and come back to Australia for play the 2nd game, which means 2 long flyes.

If u think "The only reason you can talk big is Brazil and Argentina" maybe u can talk with they about the games they play. Brazil cant defeat Uruguay in three games in the last 2 years. And they tie in the last game thanks to referee...and remember, in Korea Japan they win the Championship, but they qualified in the last match... so, dont seems so easy for they like u said...
If u think the best soccer is in Europe, maybe you are right, but it´s just for money. They have the money to buy the best players in SA, they have the money for training centers and everything else. But we are the real factory players in the world, and we have the best players in the history, so, keep trying... :p.
Which is the reason for europe can talk big? :mad:

[InteristAmerica]

what do you mean, europes only good because they can buy SA players? dont they have good players of their own? thye pick the best, and the best wanna go there no body want to play in SA when they could be on barcelona, or arsenal

[lfsr1544]

You are on the money with the first point and i dont know what you know about Australian football or even more generally, All Australian teams have had at least a reputation for being physical and mentally tough although this is balanced with a known lack of technical skill in comparison to the sth americans. The ******** up last time in Montevideo was widely attributed to the complete lack of tactical ability of then coach Farina.
Funnily enough i dont really worry about our ability to score we have a good creative midfield/ strikers and despite the flaws in the confeds cup we managed 3 against the germans and 2 against your boys(argentina), now i know the difference between the confeds and world cup qualifiers, if we have a fit squad we can score goals both home and away. Kewell, Viduka, Breschiano(?),Emerton, Cahill, Skoko
And we also have excellent european experience. All play in europe except few squad players

You are absolutely correct about altitude i fear a trip to Bogata, Equador.
Fundamentally we dont have a good defence in all of the last few games we have let in goals because of sloppy defending, we lack defenders of international quality. Moore, Neill(sometimes), Lazarides(sometimes) excepted
But as all fans must do i hope and dream in fact i think we'll romp it in 5-0 on agg, ah hopes and dreams...hopes and dreams......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

regards, andrew

Altitude will not be an issue if you play Colombia, as their home field for these qualifiers have been in Baranquilla (sea level).
However, the heat and humidity in Baranquilla (which is in the coast), will be somewhere like 90+ degrees F, and very
uncomfortable. The pitch itself is below par. I've seen better pitches in Afghanistan then the one in the Metropolitano. Either
way, SA 5th spot should take it. Colombia offers a solid defense, while if you play a team like Uruguay, they attack with 3-4 players
at a time...deadly!

[Champagne Football]

Well, the 2nd game in Austalia is a real adventage for the 5th team of SA.
We must go to Australia and play, it´s just 1 fly. But Australia must go to SA and come back to Australia for play the 2nd game, which means 2 long flyes.

So none of the SAmericans play in europe? :confused: I think at least half will have two flights.

[Champagne Football]

Altitude will not be an issue if you play Colombia, as their home field for these qualifiers have been in Baranquilla (sea level).
However, the heat and humidity in Baranquilla (which is in the coast), will be somewhere like 90+ degrees F, and very
uncomfortable. The pitch itself is below par. I've seen better pitches in Afghanistan then the one in the Metropolitano. Either
way, SA 5th spot should take it. Colombia offers a solid defense, while if you play a team like Uruguay, they attack with 3-4 players
at a time...deadly!
Attack with 3-4 players = weak defence :D