Preview: Australia v Thailand

Venue & Time: Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Monday July 16, 22:35 AEST

Head to Head: Thailand 0, Australia 0, Drawn 1

Form: This match represents the Socceroos' last chance but despite just one point in two games, Graham Arnold's team can still reach the second round. But they will have to improve significantly after following up a fortunate 1-1 draw with Oman in the opening game - when only Tim Cahill's injury-time equaliser prevented a defeat - with a 3-1 loss to Iraq when all three goals came about as a result of individual mistakes at the back. Thailand in contrast are on a high, having just come off their first ever win in the Asian Cup finals when they beat Oman 2-0 after drawing 1-1 with Iraq in the opening game. And just a draw here will be enough to send Thailand into the knockout stages of this competition for the first time.

Worries: Defence, defence, defence. The Socceroos back four has been embarrassingly bad at this tournament and now they will have to make do in this match without their most experienced defender in Lucas Neill, who is out through suspension. And with his central defensive partner in Patrick Kisnorbo having looked all at sea in the opening two matches, Arnold may have to go into this match with a completely new defence - particularly if Brett Emerton and Luke Wilkshire are freed up to play attacking roles given the Socceroos have to win - with Michael Beauchamp, Mark Milligan and Michael Thwaite all in contention to come into the side.

Danger man:

AUSTRALIA: Mark Viduka: The Australian skipper, so long criticised for his poor scoring record for the Socceroos, finally found the net in a major international game in the last match against Iraq - just his ninth goal in 41 appearances for his country - but it was to no avail. But Viduka's towering header, from a great cross from Emerton, was a rare glimpse of how the Socceroos should have been playing at this tournament all along and if the Aussies can continue to get such balls into the box, then Viduka's height and strength looms as a real problem for the tiny Thai team.

THAILAND: Teerathep Winothai: The man known in this country as "Leesaw" has been devastating in the opening two games in coming off the bench in much the same way as Tim Cahill always seems to make an impact as a sub for Australia. The 172cm striker, a former youth striker with English club Crystal Palace and the star of the 2005 South East Asian Games, has been surprisingly left out of the starting line-up in favour of veteran striker Kiatisak Senamuang so far but as soon as he has come onto the field in the second half in the two earlier group games, Thailand has looked a different side. And it was Winothai who laid on the two goals for club and country teammate Pipat Tonkanya in the 2-0 win over Oman.

We Think: Anything less than a win here and it means an embarrassing early exit from the tournament for a Socceroos' side that was favoured to win the Asian Cup. And even a narrow win might not be enough to reach the knockout stages if Oman beats Iraq in the