Italiano and Leckie out as Australia face Paraguay with last 16 in reach

Italiano and Leckie out for Paraguay decider

Two forced changes for a match you cannot lose. Jacob Italiano and Mat Leckie are out of Thursday's group finale against Paraguay (1). Italiano's absence hurts, he started in the flat 4-4-2 that frustrated Turkey. Leckie provides depth off the bench that Popovic now simply does not have.

A win or draw sends Australia through in second place. Even a narrow defeat should be enough, say the supercomputer projections (1). Kickoff is Friday 5am AEST.

USMNT already won the group, Pochettino rotates

Mauricio Pochettino is set to rotate heavily for the USMNT's final group match against Turkiye, with his side already through as Group D winners after beating Australia 2–0 (2). That result stings less now, the group was always going to tip on the Paraguay match.

Christian Pulisic, who sat out Australia's defeat with a calf issue, is ready to return. "I've been working every single day," Pulisic said (3).

Alfaro: Paraguay believe they can turn it

Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro is talking up his squad's confidence ahead of the match in Guadalajara (4). He knows the arithmetic, Paraguay must win to have any chance of progressing. Your team needs composure, not heroics. A draw does it.

Fan reactions

Socceroos supporters are keeping an eye on the third-place permutations. Bosnia and Herzegovina have already locked up one of the best third-place slots, which narrows the path for Australia should things go wrong against Paraguay. The mood online is cautious, fans are doing the math, and the margin is tight. Full discussion on r/soccer.