Australia vs Uzbekistan Predictions

Things didn’t start well for the Aussies, who lost first time out against Jordan, though they’ve since improved. They were comfortable winners against Palestine on match-day two, while they deserved to be more clear-cut winners against Syria when coming out on top 3-2 on match-day three.

In truth, it’s easy to criticise Australia for their results at this tournament; they lost when heavy odds-on favourites against Jordan, while they were twice pegged back against Syria before winning late in the day, though the results don’t tell the full story. The Socceroos were simply unlucky on match-day one; they dominated the game, had by far the better chances, but couldn’t get the ball in the net. Their lack of end-product on that occasion was nobody’s fault but their own, though they were still unfortunate.

On match-day three, although it looked like Australia were pushed hard by the Syrians, they were much the better side and really ought to have been out of sight prior to being pegged back for a second time.

Going forward, Graham Arnold’s men look useful. They’ve created plenty of opportunities against everyone that they’ve played against, while they’ve now scored six goals, which shows that there is some end-product there. Against an Uzbekistan side that hasn’t looked too good at the back, Australia should flourish in the final third.

However, they may come unstuck at the back. Against both Jordan and Syria, the Socceroos looked shaky when push came to shove. If Uzbekistan can put pressure on the Australian back-line, then it would be no surprise if they found the net. The Aussies are currently averaging one goal and 1.05 expected goals against at this tournament.

Uzbekistan have also looked suspect defensively at times, which doesn’t exactly bode well considering that they’re up against an Australian forward-line that seemed to be growing in confidence last time out. When losing 2-1 against Japan last time out, the side that progressed from Group F in second place gave quite a bit away; they looked relatively easy to break down when defending on the back foot, while they also looked susceptible to the counter-attack.

The betting selection that stands out ahead of this match is ‘Over 2.5 Goals’. At this level, there can be no denying Australia’s attacking quality; they’ve created plenty in each of their three matches, so much so that it would be a big surprise if they didn’t hurt the Uzbekistanis on Monday. However, Arnold’s men have looked anything but strong at the back, so there’s certainly hope for their opponents. With the Aussies averaging 1.91 expected goals for and Uzbekistan averaging 1.31, backing the goals to arrive at ZSC Stadium at the current prices appears to offer up some value.