Australia will want to firm their grip on a top two spot by leaving with all three points from Bangkok. The Socceroos face off against Thailand in a Group B encounter on Tuesday.
The Socceroos are currently in second place, on eight points, two behind the leaders Saudi Arabia, but one ahead of third-placed Japan. UAE are also contenders with six points from four matches.
Australia will have the advantage of having a decent idea of how the vital clash between Japan and Saudi Arabia is going, with that particular game kicking off about an hour and a half before this one in Bangkok.
If Saudi Arabia beat Japan, they will stay top of the table, making three points all the more crucial for Australia, while the Socceroos could go into next year's final five matches in qualifying as the group leaders, if Japan end up winning their home game against the table-toppers and Ange Postecoglou's men beat Thailand, who are bottom of the table having failed to pick up a single point in any of their four matches so far.
A lot is at stake in this World Cup qualifier for Australia. "At any level, but particularly at this World Cup qualification in this region, it's about trying to stay in games," Australia captain Mile Jedinak said. "The longer you can stay in games and keep it close, everyone's a chance of getting a goal and holding onto that lead.
"We like to take it to the opposition at the beginning. Whether they have the discipline to cope remains to be seen. That will be the test, not only to maintain that, but are they able to hold out? It'd be nice to get an early goal...if we don't it's about applying the pressure then more than likely the goal will come."
This match was under threat of even going ahead after Thailand's much-admired King Bhumibol Adulyadej died, leading to a 30-day mourning in the country. That period ended on Monday, leaving this game open to the kind of atmosphere that you always want to see in a competitive match, even if both teams will wear black armbands as a mark of respect.
"We understand it will be, particularly here in Bangkok, a difficult game," Postecoglou said. "Last time both nations have met, both games were tight affairs. We understand we need to make sure all the principles of our game are strong.
"We like to dominate and hopefully push the opposition back in terms of territory and that's what we'll try to do."
Where to Watch Live
Thailand vs Australia is scheduled for a 7pm local time (5.30pm IST, 11pm AEDT, 12pm GMT) start. Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: No live coverage.
Australia: TV: Channel Nine, Fox Sports 4. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Thailand: TV: BBTV and Fox Sports.
SouthEast Asia: TV: Fox Sports.
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
USA: TV: ESPN3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
