Australia vs Bahrain Prediction: Australia recorded 100% win in last round

Australia host Bahrain at Cbus Super Stadium in Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Australia entered the match high on confidence after a 100% record in the last phase of the tournament. Who will emerge victorious after 90 minutes?

The Aussies are eager to put on a show in these World Cup qualifiers, having exited in the quarters of the Asian Cup earlier this year. They won two and bossed the rest, netting 14 and keeping four clean sheets against Lebanon, Bangladesh, and Palestine. Evidence by their concrete defense record which has seen them lose only one of their last 13 games, that in extra time to South Korea in the Asian Cup.

Ryan; Miller, Souttar, Burgess, Rowles; Metcalfe, Baccus, Irvine; Yengi, Taggart, Goodwin

Bahrain has also shown some promise by reaching this stage of the qualification process after a pretty decent outing in the Asian Cup. They are, however, on a four-game unbeaten streak, which includes a draw with group winners United Arab Emirates despite being pitted against tough opposition such as Jordan and Japan. It may be hard to progress further against teams like Japan and Saudi Arabia, but Bahrain's coach Dragan Talajic will be keen to see his team play in these kinds of critical games.

Lutfalla; Saeed, Al-Hayyam, Baqer, Adel; Al-Aswad, Haram, Marhoon, Al-Shaikh; Madan, Abduljabbar

Australia's team for this match is not guaranteed, but a number of key men such as Mathew Ryan, Harry Souttar and Jackson Irvine are likely to be selected. Meanwhile, Bahrain could retain the same line-up that earned them a share of spoils against UAE. The visitors will give a good run for their money compared to some of these teams, but class will likely come to the fore with Australia, who face no pressure playing at home on the Gold Coast.