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Posted: 2017-09-14 02:09:20

Posted September 14, 2017 12:09:20

The Socceroos will head to Malaysia after all for the away leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff next month against Syria.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed the clash will be held at the Hang Jebat Stadium on October 5 in Malacca, with the return match to be played on October 10 at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

It follows a week of uncertainty after attempts by the Syrian football federation to have it staged in Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, with the Asian Football Confederation eventually intervening to lock in a venue.

War-ravaged Syria has not played a match on home soil since 2010, holding all of its third-round Asian qualifiers in Malaysia.

Three of those games were played at Hang Jebat Stadium, with Syria notching wins over Uzbekistan and Qatar and a draw with China.

Coach Ange Postecoglou and his players can expect warm, humid conditions in Malacca, situated in Malaysia's south, with average temperatures in the region hovering around 27 degrees Celsius in October and the possibility of monsoonal rain as the country comes into its wet season.

The winner of the two-legged playoff will face the fourth-placed team from North and Central America in another two-legged encounter in November for a spot at Russia 2018.

After the Socceroos dominated Thailand in their final group stage qualifier but failing to make the most of many opportunities, coach Ange Postecoglou has come under fire with questions about his methods.

But the boss has made it clear he won't be making drastic changes for the Syria matches.

"In terms of approach? We'll push on. People loved us against Chile, they didn't against Japan," Postecoglou said.

"I love watching that team play, my team play, our team play.

"It doesn't change my conviction about what's right for Australian football as a country."

ABC/AAP

Topics: socceroos, soccer-world-cup, soccer, sport, malaysia

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