Australia - Bangladesh predictions and free betting tips [16/11/2023]

On Thursday, Australia will host Bangladesh at the AAMI Park Stadium in Melbourne for the first round of the second leg of the AFC qualifying tournament for the World Cup. 

Australia

Since the World Cup in Qatar, the Australian team has not played a single official match, only taking part in friendly matches throughout 2023. In October, the squad lost 0:1 against England, but claimed a 2:0 victory against New Zealand. The team is managed by Graham Arnold, who employs a 4-4-1-1 formation. At the World Cup, Australia showed a good performance in the group stages, made it to the playoffs and lost 1:2 to the future champion Argentina.

Arnold emphasised playing friendlies with strong opponents to keep his players in shape during the enforced break. The coach was pleased with the experience gained in these matches. Australia's coaching staff announced that a generational change in the team is in progress, with Arnold allowing more time on the field for the younger players. The "Socceroos" have been successful in defence and are dangerous during set-pieces.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh, one of the largest countries in terms of population, has a population more inclined to cricket than football. Bangladesh has never made it to the final stage of the World Cup and struggles in the Asian Cup qualifiers. The team's sole international level victory was when they emerged triumphant at the South Asian Championship in 2003. In the previous round, the team managed to edge past the Maldives in two matches - a 1:1 away draw and a 2:1 home win. Head coach Javier Cabrera uses a 4-3-2-1 formation.

Head-to-Head Meetings

The two teams have met twice, with Bangladesh failing to score a single goal against Australia. In 2015, during the World Cup qualifiers, Australia triumphed in both matches - 5:0 at home and 4:0 away.

Prediction for the Australia – Bangladesh Match

The favourite for this match is evident, with some bookmakers not even accepting bets on Australia winning at home.

Predictions for Total Goals Scored

Australia has been eager for official matches and will try to entertain the home crowd with a vibrant display of football. However, I don't expect the match in Melbourne to witness more than 5 goals scored.