2018 World Cup Odds and Prediction: Australia Team Betting Preview
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Andrew Rogers
The Socceroos are facing a significant uphill climb in their quest to advance past the group stage for the second time in history, drawn into a group with world No. 7 France, No. 11 Peru and No. 12 Denmark. To no one’s surprise, oddsmakers don’t like their chances of reaching the Round of 16.
2018 Australia World Cup Betting Odds
Odds to advance: +350
Odds to win World Cup: +30,000
World Cup wins: 2
Best result: Round of 16 (2006)
FIFA World Ranking: 40
Manager: Bert van Marwijk
Captain: Mile Jedinak
Australia Players to Watch
Mile Jedinak: The team captain and Aston Villa midfielder is the biggest two-way threat on the team, capable of injecting himself into the attack or helping the back line to contain opposing scoring chances. Given that van Marwijk is likely to charge forward with guns blazing, Jedinak will need to excel at both ends if Australia has any hope of advancing past the group stage.
Tomi Juric: The talented 26-year-old finished tied for the lead in Asian Football Confederation qualifying goals with five, and is the best to finish with the most goals among Australian players (+350). With Tim Cahill now in his late-30s, it’s Juric’s time to shine – and the Luzern superstar has the skill to take over a game on his own. And in this group, he just might need to.
Mathew Leckie: Leckie is no stranger to big moments; his 86th-minute goal against Thailand in AFC qualifying kept his country’s World Cup hopes alive. Leckie isn’t a big-time scorer, with just eight goals in 52 international appearances – but given his skill level, and the fact that the Soccaroos will likely need goals in bunches, he’s live at +800 to lead Australia in tallies.
World Cup Formation and Projected Starting 11
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Projected Starting 11: Mat Ryan; Aziz Behich, Trent Sainsbury, James Meredith, Milos Degenek; Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak; Robbie Kruse, Tom Rogic, Mathew Leckie; Tomi Juric
Australia Strengths
Can “fun to watch” be a strength? Perhaps to some, but not in the betting world – so let’s go, instead, with the fact that this team should produce plenty of goal-scoring opportunities thanks to an aggressive offensive approach. Juric, Leckie, Jedinak, and Tom Rogic are all capable of finding the back of the net, and a stronger commitment to defence than in years past should serve Australia well in such a difficult group.
Australia Weaknesses
Opportunities don’t necessarily mean conversions – and while Australia has gifted offensive players, their three Group C opponents can choke off scoring plays at will. Oddsmakers have installed the Aussies at +1,100 to be the lowest-scoring team in the tourney – ahead of only four other countries. And with aggression on offence comes pressure on the defence, which will be in tough to contain the counter-attacks of France, Denmark, and Peru.
Australia News
The Socceroos will employ the youngest player in the World Cup, having named 19-year-old attacking midfielder Daniel Arzani to the final 23-man roster. Arzani had two goals and three assists in 18 games with Melbourne City FC, and should provide a much-needed injection of speed and offensive talent the Aussies can rely on in late-game situations.
Australia Betting Prediction
If it were any other group, you could make the case for the Socceroos to have a shot at reaching the Round of 16 – but having to face three top-12 teams will ultimately be too much for Australia to handle. The Aussies are a whopping -450 to fail to make it out of the group stage, and this might be one of the best bets you can make on this team despite plenty of offensive talent and a midfield stalwart in Jedinak.
Of course, upsets do happen – and while France is a virtual lock to win the group, both Peru and Denmark have flaws that Australia will look to expose. If Juric can repeat his success from World Cup qualifying and the Aussies can fend off whatever counter-attacks they face, wins over the Danes and Peruvians would send Australia through to the Round of 16 – and at +400, that might be a World Cup bet worth taking.