The Socceroos can take a gigantic step towards their second successive appearance at the World Cup finals if they can overcome a major test of their depth against Bahrain on Thursday morning.
Pim Verbeek's team heads to Manama not only with a depleted side but also limited preparation for a crucial World Cup qualifier which, if it goes the right way, could see the Socceroos take total control of Group A.
With a 1-0 away win over Uzbekistan and a 4-0 home romp against Qatar in Brisbane last month already under their belts in the final stage of Asian qualifying, the Socceroos are the only team with a perfect record in Group A.
They already have a two-point lead over Japan and Qatar, which has played one more game than Australia to date, with Bahrain on just one point after two matches and Uzbekistan in last place with one win after three games.
And considering the top two teams from the five-nation group progress to South Africa in 2010, and even the third term goes into a play-off with the third-placed team in the other Asian group for the right to take on the might of lightweight Oceania winners New Zealand, and the strength of the Socceroos' current position becomes clearer.
Another three points against Bahrain would give Australia nine points from three matches and leave it at worst four points clear of Qatar in third place (if it was to manage a draw with Japan in the other game being played this week) and eight points clear of both Bahrain and Uzbekistan.
And even with some five qualifying matches remaining, Australia would have one foot on the plane to South Africa and possibly needing just four more points to definitely qualify and with the knowledge it still has three home games to come.
But it could just as easily all go pear-shaped quite quickly.
The Socceroos head to Bahrain without key players in Brett Emerton (hamstring), Scott McDonald (illness), Matthew Spiranovic (ankle), Vince Grella (hamstring), Mark Milligan (achilles), Scott Chipperfield (surgery) and their best defender Craig Moore, whose recent bout of surgery for testicular cancer has shocked the national team.
It all creates a major test for the impressive Verbeek, whose record of seven wins, three draws and just two defeats from 12 games in charge so far is actually superior to his legendary predecessor and countryman Guus Hiddink - who recorded seven wins, two draws and three losses from his 12 games in charge.
But that spell included Australia's first appearance at the World Cup finals for 32 years in Germany in 2006, a feat which Verbeek is confident of soon matching.
However, while his defence in particular looks light on against Bahrain - a game for which the Socceroos have had just two days to prepare for following a round of club matches in Europe - Verbeek's team still has the firepower to down the home side, even without McDonald.
Fresh from scoring goals against Qatar, both lanky frontman Josh Kennedy and the dynamic Tim Cahill will be handfuls for a home side which has already been beaten in Manama by Japan during the final stage of qualifying.
And Harry Kewell is in fine goalscoring form with Turkish club Galatasaray, having just netted his seventh goal in 13 outings for his new team this season.
And while Moore is sidelined,