Ex-teammates but Popovic and Moriyasu meet as foes

TOKYO – Australia coach Tony Popovic will look to continue the Socceroos' World Cup qualifying renaissance against a familiar foe on Oct 15, as he takes his team to Saitama Stadium to face former teammate Hajime Moriyasu and his rampant Japanese team.

- REUTERS

Popovic led the Australians to a 3-1 win over China on Oct 10 in his first game in charge since replacing Graham Arnold, reinvigorating the team's hopes of an automatic berth at the 2026 World Cup Finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Socceroos picked up just a point from their opening two matches but victory over the Chinese has moved them up to second in Group C, as Japan beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and Bahrain were held to a 2-2 draw by Indonesia.

The Samurai Blue lead the standings by five points having won all three of their games, scoring 14 times without conceding to go into the clash as favourites. The Australians have never won in Japan.