Soccer: Simple equation ahead for Socceroos

The Australian soccer team arrive back in Sydney today knowing a two-goal win over Uruguay at Telstra Stadium on Wednesday will be enough to seal qualification for their first World Cup in more than 30 years.

An expected sellout crowd of more than 85,000 will have everything to cheer for in Sydney after Australia's gritty 0-1 loss to Uruguay in the World Cup first leg playoff in Montevideo yesterday gave them a fighting chance.

The winners on aggregate goals over both matches will qualify for the World Cup finals in Germany next year, meaning a two-goal victory will be enough to send the Socceroos through.

A 1-0 win to Australia would not be enough, forcing extra time and, if no result there, a penalty shootout.

But Australia cannot afford to concede a goal in Sydney, with away goals counting double if aggregate scores are tied.

The Socceroos will have a full squad to choose from after several players who would have been suspended for the next match had they received a yellow card yesterday escaped any cautions.

Uruguay will be forced to make at least one change, with their decision to play striker Diego Forlan backfiring when he was forced to leave the field yesterday after just 18 minutes with a recurrence of the leg injury which had originally seen him ruled out of the match.

But Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati is confident his side, who also arrive in Sydney today, can get the result they need to ensure they qualify at Australia's expense.

"See you when we get back and we'll be back with qualification," he told reporters.

Uruguayan striker Richard Morales said the pressure was now more on Australia than his team to chase the result, suggesting the South Americans will be far more defensively minded than they were as they laid siege to the Socceroos' goal late in yesterday's second half.

"We should have scored at least one more goal," Morales said before his side caught a commercial flight via Chile to Sydney.

"We've got 20 hours to analyse what we did right and what went wrong.

"It's up to them to fight back and get the result they need."

The Australians will arrive back in far more stylish circumstances -- on a luxurious Qantas jumbo jet equipped with foldout full length beds and massage facilities to allow them the best possible chance of recovery ahead of Wednesday's match.

Australia have not qualified for a World Cup finals since 1974.

- AAP