It's gonna be cold for Australia v Japan in Hanoi

Well it is for me, because I'm back in Canberra where the temperature is around 2 degrees at the moment!

My trip is over, I did it!

But the games go on.

Saturday's will be a cracker.

The winners of the Asia Cup get to play in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009. Lots of dosh for that one. Australia could do with it.

If we win tonight we play in the semi's and obviously assured of a top four position. Top four Asian Cup finishers are seeded for World Cup qualifiers which start next year.

Can we win?

Of course. Japan have a new coach and new team and are playing the best football of the tournament.

But in many ways they are more professional and more predictable than other sides. This will help Australia.

The Aussies will lift. They have been clearly lifted by moving hotels, and countries.

And they know this is a d0-or die game.

Arnold will not drop Neill, so expect Emerton to push into midfield to replace the suspended Luke Wilkshire.

Milligan may go to right back, but he must start surely.

One forward will be the go, in the first part of the match. Can we afford two attackers as our midfield and defence got over run against Thailand on Monday. How would we keep out Japan?

Vinny Grella, Jason Culina and Marco Bresciano are key men. Can they lift. Can they stay the distance.

Bresciano linked well with Emerton against Iraq for periods, but beyond that has found it hard to play decent forward balls despite receiving plenty of it.

Grella. What is wrong with Vinnie? Looks exhausted and doesn't seem to be able to dig himself out of this whole. Culina meanwhile slashed and thrashed the ball against Thailand. Maybe he too, was tired.

Grella and Culina are our core, if they can't keep the ball and play the other guys in, then Australia will have a torrid night.

I expect the spirit of the team to shine through. The team is now fitter, so no more fitness excuses allowed.

The players all seemed lighter after the Thailand victory. Clearly pleased to be moving on.

It's do-or-die stuff now and Australia will not go down without a fight.

Can we win. Of course we can.

Keep a clean sheet for as long as possible. Mess with Japanese minds, and then release Cahill and Kewell and seal it in the last ten minutes.

We haven't scored the opening goal in any World Cup or Asian Cup qualifier, bar Thailand.

Tonight if we go behind, we may not be good enough to get back.

Throwing four forwards on is fine, but Japan have seen it before. Also Ivica Osim is a coach, Zico, Coach in the World Cup, wasn't.

Do we have the Aussie equivalent?

Time for that analysis later.

Now it's time to support the team and whoever is chosen to play. Come on Australia. This could go to penalties, it could be that sort of night.

Australia v Japan.. the game we all wanted, even FoxSports.

Simon Hill, "It could be the biggest PayTV rating show of the year. Prime time on Saturday night, Australia v Japan."