For all the hand-wringing about the way they’ve been playing (most of it justified), this Asian Cup has opened up beautifully for the Socceroos. And that’s not just hope talking. Even Opta agrees, installing Graham Arnold’s men as outright favourites to win it, giving them a 21.1 per cent chance to lift the trophy from here. If they win their next game, they’ll only have to get past Jordan or Tajikistan to reach the final – and on the other side of the bracket, no team is firing on all cylinders.

You might say it’s all coming up Arnie.

But first, there is the small matter of South Korea, who notched a thrilling 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning (AEDT) in the round of 16. They needed a goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 draw and stay alive in the tournament. It sets up a massive quarter-final on Saturday (2.30am AEDT) – by far the biggest match Australia has played in since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On the evidence seen so far, they have nothing to fear.

Here are four reasons why the Socceroos can get the job done against the Taegeuk Warriors.

The Socceroos finished top of Group B. South Korea finished second in Group E. The benefits of winning the group are now clear: Arnold’s men have the advantage of more than two full days’ rest than their next opponents, while the South Koreans get just two days to recover from their 120-minute battle before fronting up again.

South Korea celebrate after the penalty shootout win over Saudi Arabia.Credit: Getty

Their two best players, Tottenham Hotspur skipper Son Heung-min and Paris Saint-Germain star Lee Kang-in, have every minute of every match so far. Along with Seol Young-woo, Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom and Lee Jae-sung, that makes six Korean players to have logged over 300 minutes. Only four Australians have done that, while there are also zero injury concerns for Arnold, with Mitch Duke, Craig Goodwin and Gethin Jones all cleared of various niggles.

This is the price South Korea coach Juergen Klinsmann admits they’ve had to pay for not doing better in the group stage, and in a tournament as even as this one, the difference could be telling.