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Australia and Bahrain will battle for three points in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday. The hosts have not been in action since claiming a 5-0 home win over Palestine in the last round of the qualifiers in June.
Kusini Yengi scored a first-half brace, with hs goals coming either side of Adam Taggart. Martin Boyle and Nestory Irankunda added second-half goals to complete the rout and help the Socceroos top Group C with maximum points from six games.
Bahrain, meanwhile, shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw away to the United Arab Emirates. First-half goals from Mahdi Hasan and Sultan Adil ensured the spoils were shared and saw The Pearl Divers advance to this stage as Group H runners-up on 11 points.
Both sides have been drawn alongside Japan, Chine PR, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in Group C.
Australia vs Bahrain Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the seventh meeting between the two sides. Australia were victorious on all six previous occasions.
- Their most recent clash came in January 2024 when Australia claimed a 2-0 victory in an international friendly.
- Bahrain are currently on a four-game unbeaten run (two wins).
- Australia kept a clean sheet in five of the six head-to-head games, scoring 11 goals and conceding one.
- Australia form guide: W-W-W-W-L Bahrain form guide: D-D-W-W-L
- Bahrain climbed one spot to 80th place in the latest FIFA World Rankings. Australia dropped one place to 24th.
Australia vs Bahrain Prediction
Australia made light work of their opponents in the last round of the qualifiers. Manager Graham Arnold called up 24 players to dispute September's World Cup qualifiers headlined by skipper and St. Pauli midfielder Jackson Irvine. They will be hoping to begin this round of the qualifiers with victory to potentially secure one of the two automatic qualification spots.
Bahrain have never made it to the FIFA World Cup in their history. They have also never beaten their upcoming opponents and their chances of bucking this trend appear slim.
Barring an unlikely upset, there should only be one winner here. We are backing the home side to claim a comfortable victory in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: Australia 3-0 Bahrain
Australia vs Bahrain Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Australia to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Halftime/Fulltime result: Australia/Australia
