Two nations that have built up a healthy rivalry in cricket will square off on the football pitch in Al Rayyan this weekend, as Australia open their Asian Cup campaign against India on Saturday at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
It will be the fifth successive appearance for the Socceroos at this tournament after topping their second-round Asian qualification group with a 100% record, while India qualified for a second consecutive time, winning all three of their third-round fixtures.
After stunning many observers at the previous World Cup and making it into the last 16, the Socceroos enter this tournament with bigger expectations than they initially had after punching their ticket into the 2023 Asian Cup years ago.
Graham Arnold has been able to get the best out of this squad, with the Aussies winning their last five competitive fixtures versus teams from Asia, including a 2-0 triumph over Bahrain last weekend.
They have not lost to an Asian opponent since March 2022 (1-0 defeat versus Saudi Arabia), outscoring their last three opponents from that region by a combined margin of 10-0.
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