Despite struggling to play at their best, the Socceroos can visualize themselves in the Asian Cup final with two more wins needed to reach the decider.
Before the tournament, the minimum passable result for Australia was a quarter-final berth, which has been achieved already with either Saudi Arabia or South Korea to come in that match on Saturday morning (AEDT).
Realistically, with the Socceroos being third favourites to win the Asian Cup pre-tournament, a semi-final position or deeper is what's desired.
If Graham Arnold's men can navigate past their quarter-final test, then a potentially easier match in the last four awaits.
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Socceroos Asian Cup 2023 chances
Australia will find out their quarter-final opponent at the conclusion of the Saudi Arabia vs. South Korea round-of-16 match, which commences January 31 at 3:00am (AEDT).
Both teams are dangerous propositions for the green and gold, with Saudi Arabia the only team to defeat champions Argentina at the recent World Cup, while South Korea reached the knockout stage via a win against Portugal.
It will also see Arnold lock his tactical wit with one of two high-profile coaches - Saudi Arabia's Roberto Mancini and South Korea's Jurgen Klinsmann.
One thing in the Socceroos' favour is that the team will get an extra 48 hours of rest before the quarter-final because of a quirk in the draw.
The Saudis topped their group with comfortable wins against Oman and Kyrgyzstan, while their 0-0 draw with Thailand occurred with knockout stage qualification already locked in.
South Korea, seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites, struggled through the group stage with draws against Jordan and Malaysia meaning they qualified in second.
However, the Koreans possess several trump cards in their team, namely Tottenham's world-class attacker Son Heung-min and Bayern Munich centre-half Kim Min-jae.
No matter who Australia's opponent is, it's going to be a tough match, but an easier contest looms in the semi-finals for the victor.
The other quarter-final features 81st-ranked Jordan and 99th-ranked Tajikistan, with those two nations dumping out the more fancied Iraq and UAE respectively in the round-of-16.
Australia, Saudi Arabia or South Korea will be huge favourites against either Jordan or Tajikistan in a major tournament semi-final - there is no doubt about that.
The Socceroos have an excellent chance to reach the final of the Asian Cup but whether the team is strong enough to beat a legitimate contender will be a question answered on Saturday morning.
MORE: Asian Cup 2023 results
Asian Cup: Knockout stage schedule
Watch every match of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 only on Paramount+
Round of 16
| Date | Fixture |
| Jan. 28 | Australia 4-0 Indonesia |
| Jan. 28 | Tajikistan 1(5)-1(3) UAE |
| Jan. 29 | Iraq 2-3 Jordan |
| Jan. 29 | Qatar 2-1 Palestine |
| Jan. 30 | Uzbekistan vs Thailand |
| Jan. 30 | Saudi Arabia vs South Korea |
| Jan. 31 | Bahrain vs Japan |
| Jan. 31 | Iran vs Syria |
Quarterfinal
| Date | Fixture |
| Feb. 2 | Tajikistan vs. Jordan |
| Feb. 2 | Australia vs. Winner of Match 42 |
| Feb. 3 | Winner of Match 44 vs. Winner of Match 43 |
| Feb. 3 | Qatar vs. Winner of Match 41 |
Semifinal
| Date | Fixture |
| Feb 6. | Winner of QF 1 vs. Winner of QF 2 |
| Feb 7. | Winner of QF 3 vs. Winner of QF 4 |
Final
| Date | Fixture |
| Feb 10. | Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 |
