The U.S. men's national team have top spot in Group D wrapped up already but even as the World Cup co-hosts aim to go for three wins in three, perhaps the real point of intrigue on Thursday will be when Paraguay and Australia meet in Northern California for the chance to finish as the group runners-up.
The stakes are simple – win and book a spot in the round of 32 in the process, though a draw favors Australia. The third-place team from Group D may still make the cut for the knockouts but will need to rely on the results in the other groups before getting the news, good or bad. The Soccerroos might be favored but they enter their Group D finale with several issues in front of them, chief among them injuries that will undoubtedly impact team selection for what they hope is the first of several must-win games.
Winger Matthew Leckie and right back Jaco Italiano are expected to miss Thursday's game with a hamstring strain and an adductor injury, respectively, head coach Tony Popovic now down two starters from Friday's 2-0 loss to the USMNT. Combine that with the fact that defender Cameron Burgess was yanked at halftime of that game after scoring an own goal 11 minutes in, Popovic is expected to make several changes to the team though he played coy on who might be in the lineup.
"We're always considering all possibilities because we've always shown faith in every player that's here," Popovic said on Wednesday. "Since we've started this journey, every player that's in our squad knows he has a chance of playing and that's no different for tomorrow … Whoever starts [Thursday], I know can build a strong foundation and whoever comes on can finish what we've started."
An intense match awaits and not only because of the stakes. Both teams have a propensity to create a physical, unglamorous game state – flying tackles are sometimes as common as shots at goal when the Socceroos play, while Paraguay proved in a 1-0 win over Turkiye on Friday that grit for the sake of it can be enough to get over the finish line.
"South American teams, they're a different kind of opponent as opposed to any teams from Europe or from Asia," defender Jason Geria said. "They're a lot more street-wise. There's going to be a lot of little stuff off the ball, the tactics to get you angry, to get you off of your game, to get you booked, and potentially sent off. Those little games. And then the fight, these guys fight, they play like every game is their last game they're going to play. And they fight for everything."
How to watch Paraguay vs. Australia
Date: Thursday, June 25 | Time: 10 p.m. ET Location: Levi's Stadium -- Santa Clara, Calif. TV: FS1 (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds: Paraguay +185; Draw +120; Australia +300
Paraguay vs. Australia predicted starting lineups
Paraguay: Orlando Gill, Juan Jose Caceres, Gustavo Gomez, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso, Mauricio, Diego Gomez, Andres Cubas, Matias Galarza, Isidro Pitta, Julio Enciso
Australia: Patrick Beach, Jason Geria, Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar, Cameron Burgess, Jordan Bos, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O'Neill, Paul Okon-Engstler, Mohamed Toure, Nestory Irankunda
Keep up with the World Cup standings here!
Paraguay vs. Australia pick, prediction
This will not be the most stylish game, each team likely to trade off the task of trying to grind the other one down. It will likely come down to Australia coach Tony Popovic getting the team selection right but he has enough quality to see things out, even if things are not quite exciting along the way. Pick: Paraguay 0, Australia 1
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
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