PREVIEW: Paraguay and Australia face shootout to make round of 32 in World Cup Group D | OneFootball

Paraguay and Australia are set to lock horns knowing that victory will seal second spot in Group D, and progression to the Round of 32.

Both sides sit on three points, with Australia second by virtue of Paraguay having an inferior goal difference due to their 4-1 opening-game drubbing by the USA.

Australia will be considered favourites, having ‘only’ lost 2-0 to Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and also have a significantly better recent record in football’s marquee event. The Oceanians have qualified for the last five editions in a row and matched their best ever result by reaching the last 16 in 2022, while La Albirroja endured a 12 year exile before making their return this year.

To make matters worse for Paraguay they need to win in order to snatch second place, with Australia requiring a solitary point to seal knockout stage progression for the second successive tournament.

And the Socceroos also possess the superior head-to-head record, with two wins and three draws from five encounters.

But all of those games were friendlies with the last one being played after 2010, so it remains to be seen how the dynamics of a competitive fixture changes matters after so long.

And despite all the omens appearing to point to Aussie success, the strength of Paraguay’s squad will give them confidence they can finally kick into gear after underwhelming in their defeat to the USA and 1-0 win over Turkey.

In Brighton’s Diego Gómez and Strasbourg’s Julio Enciso they possess two players with significant top five European league experience, and both players will be guaranteed to start given their dangermen status.

Orlando Gill is set to feature in goal following an outstanding display to help his side clinch victory against the Turks, and Omar Alderete is due a good game against the Socceroos after underwhelming in his team’s opening two fixtures.

The same can be said for Junior Alonso, with the Atletico MG defender looking set to star alongside counterpart Juan Cáceres of Dinamo Moscow.

One big miss for Paraguay, though, will be Miguel Almirón, with the Atlanta United forward missing via a sending off picked up against the USA for covering his mouth.

For all Los Guaraníes’ strength on paper there is a reason Australia are favourites, and they aren’t exactly lacking for quality themselves.

At the tender age of 20 Watford’s Nestory Irankunda is considered the Socceroos star man, and will be expected to impact proceedings after opening the scoring against Turkey in his nation’s opening tie.

Parma’s Alessandro Circati is also a sure thing to start as one of a select few Australians playing in a major European league. The 22-year-old has impressed so far against both Turkey and the USA, and also enjoyed a strong club campaign in helping his side to finish 13th.

St Pauli’s Connor Metcalfe, meanwhile, is inconsistent but still highly likely to play after joining Irankunda on the scoresheet against Bizim Çocuklar, while Feyenoord’s Jordan Bos will be looking to redeem himself at left back after two subpar showings against the Yanks and Ay-Yıldızlılar.

Maverick winger Jacob Italiano is missing for Tony Popovic’s men through injury, as is A-League stalwart Matthew Leckie. who has damaged his hamstring.

Whoever loses tonight’s clash should still stand a good chance of squeaking through in third place, barring a Scotland-esque defensive catastrophe, but both nations will want to get the job done tonight in order to avoid an anxious wait to learn their fate.

The game is live on ITVX and ITV4 and kicks off at 03:00 (BST) on Friday morning.

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