Kuwait vs Australia Predictions

After a shaky start, Kuwait’s form has picked up in 2018 and they come into this game on the back of a four-match unbeaten run. In their first two friendlies of the year, the national team lost 1-0 away at Jordan, then 3-1 at home to Cameroon. Whilst the Cameroon loss could be expected, they probably would have liked to have done better in that match against Jordan, to build some momentum.

However, they achieved their opening win of 2018 in May, beating Palestine 2-0 at home. From then, they drew 1-1 with Egypt and 2-2 with Iraq, both at home. The Egypt result was the most impressive, albeit with a weakened opposition without Mo Salah, as they held out until the 81st minute before conceding an equaliser, against a team heading for the World Cup at that stage. The draw with Iraq showed the side’s character, coming back from a goal down twice to ensure their unbeaten run stretched to three games.

During this international break, Kuwait defeated Lebanon 1-0 to make it four, edging the game through Faisal Zayed’s well-struck free kick. It could have been more, had it not been for the exploits of the opposition’s keeper, who made a number of great saves to keep Lebanon in it. The result was all the more significant as it ended Lebanon’s 16-match unbeaten run, which should act as a huge confidence boost to the Kuwaiti national side.

In contrast, it is a new dawn for the Australian national football team, with a new head coach in Graham Arnold and a number of well-known players not in his squad for this match. Indeed, the gamble to appoint Bert Van Marwjik for the 2018 World Cup did not really pay off, as his team were knocked out of the group stages with a series of disappointing performances.

Australia only scored twice, both through Mile Jedinak penalties, whilst lost to France and Peru, drawing against Denmark. There seemed to be an emphasis on defensive prowess, which meant that the team were not exciting to watch and didn’t have a distinct style, probably due to the fact that Marwjik did not have much time to work with his players.

However, now former Sydney FC coach Arnold, who was announced as Marwjik’s successor before the World Cup has come in, there could be a degree of stability around the national team. With Jedinak retired, as well as Tim Cahill not in the squad, the team has lost two of its most important leaders and it will be interesting to see how the remaining squad members respond.

The team will not be full of confidence after those dour World Cup performances and it could take a few matches at least for Arnold to work out his best team and favoured style of play. Thus, backing Kuwait Draw No Bet could be a smart move, as Kuwait appear to be the more settled side and have momentum behind them following that impressive defeat of Lebanon. Whilst Australia have the talent to stay in the match, backing a 1-0 Kuwait win could be of value, in what will most likely be a tight and compact game, with Kuwait making it difficult for Australia to play.