Jordan have never been this close to World Cup qualification before, and the Jordanian team that will run out against Australia at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night believes that destiny could this time be on their side.

The men from the Hashemite kingdom have already pulled off one victory over the Socceroos, on their own patch in Amman last September, and are optimistic that they can bloody their better known rivals noses in a game that few give them much chance of winning.

It has been widely assumed that the Jordanians, who have seven points and two games to play, just like Australia, will defend in depth, slow the game down and try to pinch a point to keep themselves in the hunt ahead of their final match against Middle Eastern rivals Oman in Amman next week.

But, as Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill pointed out on Monday, Adnan Hamad’s team will at some point have to show what they are made of, and, contrary to expectations, they might try to take the game to Australia. In some ways they have little alternative, as their goal difference – courtesy of a 6-0 thrashing in Japan early in the campaign – means that they will have to finish ahead of Australia and Oman on the points table as their -6 deficit will leave them adrift if they finish level with one of their rivals for second spot.