Japan will look to book a passage to the 2014 World Cup when it takes on a struggling Australia side.
Japan currently sits atop Group B with 13 points. The top two sides in the group earn an automatic spot in the competition while the third place team would have to face off against the Group A third place side. The winner of that matchup takes on CONMEBOL's fifth place team for a shot at the World Cup finals. Japan only needs one point in its game against Australia to clinch a top two spot in the group. Jordan is currently in second place with seven points and can only obtain a maximum of 13 points if it won its final two games of group play.
Japan got off to a dominant start in the tournament but has slowly diminished its effectiveness. A 3-0 win over Oman was followed by a 6-0 thrashing of Jordan. The team then drew 1-1 in Australia before barely defeating Iran 1-0. The team eventually defeated 2-1 against Oman but lost 2-1 to Jordan with a chance to clinch the berth.
Fortunately, Japan will have the advantage of home field; the team has won all three home games by a combined score of 10-0.
Meanwhile Australia is in a close battle for a top spot in the group. With six points in five points, the Australians are one point back of second place, but only one point ahead of last place Iraq. Fortunately the team has two more games remaining after facing Japan; a loss would threaten their position for a World Cup berth however.
Australia has acquired just one win, three draws, and one loss in the entire campaign; the lone victory was a 2-1 win over Iraq on the road.
Prediction: The two sides battle to a 0-0 draw.
Start Time: 6:30 AM EST
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