Australia will hope to make it two wins from two matches on their path to 2022 World Cup qualification as they face Nepal at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Thursday night (AEDT).
The green and gold comfortably beat Kuwait 3-0 away in their first qualifier on the road to Qatar and will be keen to get a positive result against the Nepalese before taking on Chinese Taipei on October 15.
Nepal were beaten 7-0 in their first match against the Kuwaitis but bounced back to overcome Chinese Taipei 2-0 a few days later.
Ranked 161 in the FIFA rankings, the Nepalese have never qualified for a World Cup or an Asian Cup before.
It will be the first time the two sides have ever met in a senior match, with the second game in Nepal to be played in March next year.
Australia and Jordan are favourites to progress from group B with Kuwait, Nepal and Chinese Taipei in the mix also.
| Game | Australia vs Nepal |
| Date | Thursday, October 10 |
| Time | 8.00pm AEDT/ 5:00pm AWST |
| Stream (AUS) | Kayo/My Football App/Foxtel Go |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In Australia, the game can be watched live on free-to-air on the ABC's main channels, via pay subscription service Foxtel on Fox Sports channel 505 or on live sports streaming service Kayo Sports.
New users can sign up for a free 14-day trial of Kayo Sports , which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Telstra TV and a standard desktop browser.
The match can also be viewed with a subscription purchased on the My Football Live app.
| AUS TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ABC/Fox Sports 505 | Kayo (14 day trial available)/My Football App |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Australia squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Langerak, Redmayne, Ryan |
| Defenders | Souttar, Smith, Wright, Grant, Degenek, Behich |
| Midfielders | Amini, Hrustic, Irvine, Jeggo, Petratos, Mooy, Goodwin, Milligan |
| Forwards | Borrello, Taggart, Maclaren, Mabil, Leckie, Giannou |
Predicted Australia XI : Ryan; Grant, Degenek, Milligan, Behich; Irvine, Mooy, Jeggo; Leckie, Taggart, Borrello
| Position | Nepal squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Chemjong, Kuthu, B.Shrestha |
| Defenders | Dahal, Bhandari, Rajbanshi, A.Tamang, D.Tamang, Dhimal, Aryal |
| Midfielders | Bal, Paswan, Bista, S.Shrestha, Gurung, Lama, T.Tamang, S.Tamang, Rai, Chand |
| Forwards | Magar, Rijal, N.Shrestha |
Predicted Nepal XI: Chemjong; A.Tamang, Rajbanshi, D.Tamang, Chand, Rai, Dhimal, Paswan, S.Strestha, Magar, Bista
Betting & Match Odds
Australia is an almost certain favourite to win with Sportsbet at 1.01, while a draw is priced at 23.00 and a Nepal victory at an extraordinary 126.00.
Click here for Goal's betting preview on the match
Match Preview
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Australia will hit home soil for the first time in the early stages of World Cup qualifying with a rare game in Canberra against Asian minnows Nepal.
The Socceroos coasted to a comfortable 3-0 win against Kuwait last month, but with the latter putting seven goals past Nepal in their first qualifier, the green and gold will be hoping for a similar scoreline.
Australia's Premier League contingent at Brighton, Mat Ryan and Aaron Mooy, have been in excellent form of late and will both likely be involved unless coach Graham Arnold pulls a selection surprise.
Striker Adam Taggart should be given another chance to establish himself as the team's No.1 centre forward after a decent outing against the Kuwaits, in which he assisted Mooy's goal.
Captain Mark Milligan returns to the squad but it remains to be seen whether he is in the starting line-up with several rivals to play in his favoured positions in defence or midfield.
Scottish-born defender Harry Souttar has been touted to make his debut at centre-back with the absence of Trent Sainsbuty from the squad.
The Fleetwood Town player had never set foot in Australia but was excited at the possibility of representing the nation of his mother.
"It's good to be here, obviously my first time in Australia. It was a long flight...I'm really delighted to be here and focused on the game now," Souttar said.
"It would be very special (to debut) and an extremely proud moment for me if it does happen, and for my family, my mum especially.
"Everyone is really pleased for me. The players we've got in the Socceroos are world-class players and boys that play in the (English) Premier League week in, week out, so that's only going to benefit me.
"We've got to wait and see what the boss does but fingers crossed it will come sooner rather than later."
Following the clash against Nepal, Australia will head to Kaohsiung for a qualifier against Chinese Taipei on October 15.
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