THE FACTS
When is Australia vs Nepal taking place? Thursday 10th October, 2019 – 10:00 (UK)
Where is Australia vs Nepal taking place? GIO Stadium, Canberra
What television channel is Australia vs Nepal on? Australia vs Nepal will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Australia vs Nepal? N/A
Where can I get tickets for Australia vs Nepal? Tickets may be available on this link
THE TEAM NEWS
AUSTRALIA
- Australia continue their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign against Nepal in Canberra on Thursday having started their quest for qualification with a 0-3 away victory against Kuwait last month.
- In a match played in very hot conditions, Australia wrapped up the game against Kuwait with three goals in the opening half. With usual captain Mark Milligan out injured, Mathew Leckie was given the responsibility and rose to the occasion by scoring two of the goals.
- Milligan returns to the squad for this match but Trent Sainsbury and Massimo Luongo are both missing through injury. Defender Harry Souttar is in line for his first cap and Jamie Maclaren might get a start with Adam Taggart struggling to shake off a hamstring injury.
NEPAL
- This is Nepal’s third match in the qualification group. Last month they lost 7-0 in their opening game in Kuwait but recovered well to defeat Chinese Taipei 2-0 a few days later in their second match, with Anjan Bista scoring both goals.
- Their win against Chinese Taipei was the first they had registered in a year since they defeated Bangladesh in September 2018; it was a run in which they had scored only one goal in eight matches.
- Motivation for the Nepal players will be very high in their first ever fixture against Australia and they will be backed by a good number of supporters with the ticket allocation for the Nepalese fans selling out very quickly with a large community of Nepalese ex-pats making the trip from Sydney.
THE PREDICTION
Australia got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start in Kuwait last month without too many dramas and they will be looking to make it two wins from two with victory against a Nepal team who are ranked 161st in the FIFA rankings. Nepal will be cheered on by a vocal support from the stands and won’t lack enthusiasm, but on the pitch they lack experience and quality with only three players based outside of their home country and they won’t have the ability to stop Australia gaining a comfortable win.