Socceroos approach final group match against Paraguay, poised for knockout stage

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Even a narrow defeat against Paraguay in their final group game should be enough to earn a place in the last 32, where Belgium may await Cowards, pragmatists or stoic idealists: the Socceroos must decide this week how much they dare anger the footballing gods. They approach their final group match on Thursday (Friday AEST) against Paraguay in the box seat to progress to the knockout round, but also with a chance to negotiate with their opponents to do a sensible if unseemly deal that mutually benefits them both. In almost 94% of simulations of the World Cup by sports data agency Opta, Australia will progress to the round of 32. At the start of the tournament, Opta assessed Australia’s chances of progressing at 59%, underscoring just how important the three points against Turkey were. Continue reading...