Herve Renard is back as head coach and Saudi Arabia will be counting on the Frenchman to get them back on course after a tough campaign which has only yielded five points from a possible 12.

Renard steered the West Asian side to a sensational 2-1 win over Argentina in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the only defeat the South Americans suffered enroute to lifting the title and Saudi Arabia will be hoping for more of the same in his second tenure as head coach.

Tied on points with Australia and Bahrain in Group C, a win over the Socceroos on Thursday will be a tremendous boost to Saudi Arabia's hopes of qualifying for a third consecutive FIFA World Cup and seventh overall.

Qatar desperately need a result after their 4-1 defeat to Islamic Republic of Iran left them six points off the pace in the race for the two automatic qualifying spots in Group A.

The back-to-back AFC Asian Cup™ champions face Uzbekistan, who are level on 10 points with Iran, and Qatar couldn't have asked for tougher opponents as they bid to keep their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup on merit for the first time.

While Qatar won their most recent encounter - a penalty shootout triumph in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in February - Uzbekistan have won nine of their last 15 meetings.

The Central Asian side - seeking an inaugural appearance at the FIFA World Cup - are unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions but a source of confidence for Qatar will be that they have won all but one of their last eight home games.

Having defeated their two closest challengers in October, Korea Republic will be determined to not slip up on the road when they face Kuwait on Thursday and Palestine five days later.

Victories over Jordan (2-0) and Iraq (3-2) meant Hong Myung-bo's side head into the next round of fixtures with a three-point lead in Group B and well on course for an 11th consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup and 12th overall.

Back-to-back away matches, however, will make Hong wary and he will remind his star-studded squad to handle Kuwait - who are desperately in need of a win to revive their campaign - with respect.

Indonesia, appearing at this stage of the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the first time, face two massive tests over the next five days.

Shin Tae-yong's side host Group C leaders Japan on Friday with Saudi Arabia to follow four days later and victories will take the Southeast Asian side to nine points.

It may seem difficult, given Japan and Saudi Arabia's standing in Asian football, but Indonesia will have the advantage of playing at the majestic Gelora Bung Karno Stadium and with 78,000 partisan fans cheering them on, upsets cannot be ruled out.

The AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 have not gone smoothly for three of Asia's six representatives at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

While Iran (Group A), Korea Republic (Group B) and Japan (Group C) look well placed to earn automatic qualifying spots, Qatar, Australia and Saudi Arabia face massive battles in their respective bids to avoid having to contend with playoffs.

Their struggles, however, have come as good news for teams either aiming to make a return to the FIFA World Cup after a long hiatus or seeking to qualify for the global showpiece for the first time with Uzbekistan and Bahrain among the sides aiming for an inaugural appearance on the global stage.

The remaining AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 matchdays are set to be thrilling affairs.