Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
In the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, China will face Australia. The match will take place on Tuesday, March 25, and will kick off at 12:00 CET. I suggest a bet on goals for one of the teams.
China vs Australia: match preview
China is at the bottom of its qualifying group. The team's start was disastrous with three losses and a total goal difference of 2:12. Victories against Indonesia and Bahrain followed, but in the last round, they suffered another defeat – 0:1 against Saudi Arabia. Currently, the Chinese have six points and are behind the fourth team in the group due to tiebreakers. Three matches remain, including games against direct competitors Indonesia and Bahrain.
Australia is confidently heading towards another World Cup appearance. They currently have 10 points after seven rounds and are second in the table. The Australians unexpectedly lost to Bahrain 0:1, but they didn't lose in their other six matches: four draws and two wins – precisely against China and Indonesia. The gap from third place is only one point, so dropping points is undesirable if the team wants to qualify directly for the World Cup. Tough matches remain, including those against China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Match facts and head-to-head encounters
- Australia is unbeaten in six consecutive matches.
- China has lost two of its last three matches.
- In the previous meeting, Australia won 3:1. In the last five head-to-head games, the Australians have won three times, China once, and one match ended in a draw.
Probable lineups
- China: D. Wang; Yang, S. Jiang, Han, L. Li; S. Wang, Xi; Wei, Cao, Abduweli; Zhang.
- Australia: Ryan; Geria, Burgess, Rowles; Miller, Irwin, O'Neill, Behich; Goodwin, Velupillay; Borrello.
Prediction
Despite the home advantage for China, Australia remains the favorite for the match. My bet is on Australia's individual total over 1.5 with odds of 1.61.
