South Korea and Australia go straight into the cauldron in the last round of qualification for the 2014 World Cup Friday as the final stretch on the road to Brazil starts with tough trips to the Middle East in summer. Australia is in action at Oman in Group B while South Korea heads to Qatar. As top seeds in their respective groups, both teams sat out the opening round of games last weekend and have some ground to make up. Ten teams are divided into two pools of five with the top two in each group automatically qualifying for Brazil 2014. The third-place teams will play off for a spot in an intercontinental qualifier against the No. 5-ranked South American team. Australia lost to Oman in the previous round of qualifying and the Socceroos are aware that a similar result will put them under enormous pressure — particularly after group rivals Japan opened with a convincing win at home against Oman Sunday. “It's always crucial to get off to a flying start. You see Japan with the 3-0 win for them and they are sitting pretty,” Australian midfielder Tim Cahill said. “For confidence and momentum, it's key for everyone. Especially for us, the main thing is trying to get these three points and not losing the game.” The temperature is expected to be close to 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) when the game kicks off in Muscat late Friday afternoon. “It's definitely going to be tough,” Australia striker Josh Kennedy said. “They'll have that confidence from the last time they beat us here, but we know we are a better team and can get the job done.” Japan is expected to make it two wins from two games when it hosts Jordan, which opened with a 1-1 draw against Iraq. The Asian champion has been buoyed by the news that Shinji Kagawa has agreed a deal to join Manchester United from German club Borussia Dortmund. Japan travels to Australia next week for what shapes as a pivotal game in Brisbane. In Group A, South Korea prepared for its opener at Qatar by losing 4-1 to world champion Spain and it has not been a smooth build-up for coach Choi Kang-hee. Choi dropped star striker Park Chu-young following controversy over the Arsenal player's decision to delay his compulsory national military service by 10 years. His attempts to naturalize Brazilian playmaker Eninho failed amid a national debate. Qatar is keen to qualify for the World Cup before it hosts the 2022 edition. The team started well with a 1-0 win at Lebanon Sunday via a goal from Uruguay-born striker Sebastian Soria. Lebanon needs to bounce back in Beirut when Uzbekistan, which lost its opener at home to Iran, visits for a vital game. Lebanon's German coach Theo Bucker admitted a second defeat for either team Friday would put a huge dent in any hopes of a first appearance at the World Cup. “We will try our best to make a good comeback,” Bucker said. The pressure of the final stage is already beginning to be felt. Uzbekistan coach Vadim Abramov quit and has been replaced by his predecessor Mirdljalal Kasimov following his team's last-minute loss to Iran.
