ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 07: Mile Jedinak, Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan of Australia warm up during the Australian Socceroos training session at the Adelaide Oval on June 7, 2017 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Australia vs. Saudi Arabia Betting Preview: Socceroos World Cup Qualifier Odds

OddsShark.comJun 7, 2017

Australia's hopes of direct qualification to next year's World Cup rely on the Socceroos getting all three points in Thursday's qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Adelaide.

Australia, who have three wins and four draws from their seven matches to date, are precariously placed in their group, currently three points behind both Japan and Saudi Arabia with three matches left.

A loss to in Adelaide would put them in an almost impossible position to finish in the top two, which means they would need to go through two sets of playoffs to make the tournament in Russia next year.

A win would allow them to join the top two and put them right in the fight, with an away match against Japan and a home match against Thailand to come.

The oddsmakers certainly have every confidence Australia will get the job done against an under-strength Saudi Arabia side. The Socceroos are $1.40 AUD to win the match, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, while a draw is at $4.50 and a win by the visiting side is at $8.50.

The most favoured exact scores are Australia to win 1-0 or 2-0, each at $6.50, while a repeat of the result the last time the two teams met in October 2016, a 2-2 draw, is priced at $17.

These teams have only met on Australian soil once before in a competitive match, back in 2012, when Australia won 4-2 in Melbourne, a result considered a $46 chance to be repeated on Thursday.

While the Socceroos are without first-choice midfielder Mark Milligan, Saudi Arabia are significantly weakened by the absence of top scorer Nawaf Al Abed, midfielder Fahad Al-Muwallad and defender Yasser Al-Shahrani.

Given they are understrength and away from home, it is not surprising Saudi Arabia are long odds to cause the upset here.

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has some tough decisions to make, with three of his best attacking players—Aaron Mooy, Massimo Luongo and Tom Rogic—all available after missing their most recent match against the UAE in March. Just who he plays will have a major impact on the first goalscorer markets, which are currently headed by Jamie Maclaren at $4.50, with Tomi Juric and Tim Cahill both at $5.50.

It's a huge week for Australian soccer, with Argentina and Brazil to meet in a friendly at the MCG on Friday before the Socceroos face Brazil next Tuesday in their final hit-out before the Confederations Cup in Russia later this month.