The Socceroos know there is one key hurdle they must overcome to beat Bahrain and kickstart their World Cup qualification campaign: their own finishing.
Australia were kicking themselves after several gilt-edges chances came to nought in last Thursday's 0-0 home draw with Saudi Arabia - between poor execution and some gun-shy moments.
Senior midfielder Jackson Irvine is confident Australia's chances will soon turn to goals.
"Sometimes when you look at each individual moment, you can understand the decisions that were made within the context of each of those moments within the game," Irvine said.
"It's when you probably look at them all together that looks like, 'alright, we need to have that more clinical edge'.
"Whether it's someone taking more responsibility, earlier and without the hesitation, or whether it's squaring the ball in the right time for someone else to have an easier moment.
"There's no right or wrong answer. It's just about making sure that we find that clinical edge individually and collectively, to be able to put the ball on the back of the net."
The stakes couldn't be higher at the Bahrain International Stadium in Riffa on Wednesday morning (AEDT).
Australia (six points) are second in Group C behind leaders Japan (13 points) and ahead of Saudi Arabia and China on goal difference.
Bahrain (five), who beat Australia 1-0 on the Gold Coast, are fifth with Indonesia (three) bottom.
The top two teams earn direct qualification for 2026 while third and fourth enter another round of qualifying.
"For us, we feel like we haven't reached anywhere near the potential of our performance levels and what we're capable of," Irvine said.
"It's great that we're in a position that everything's still in our hands."
Irvine knows the Socceroos' senior players must make sure Bahrain can't frustrate them into coming undone - while also managing the game.
"Probably the first game against them, we didn't find that balance well enough," he said.
"We allowed it to become the story of the game, I guess, would be the way to put it, and that's the biggest thing you want to avoid.
"You want that drama to not be the centre of the game. You want our performance to be the main focus."
Irvine has been on-field skipper since Maty Ryan was dropped for Joe Gauci in Popovic's first game against China.
Popovic has emphasised Ryan remains captain, while Irvine hailed the "ultimate professional".
"We have a really good dynamic, we always have amongst the senior players in the squad, and myself and Maty in particular," he said.
"The boss is absolutely right - Maty is, of course, the captain of this team, and we lean on his experience, his mental capacity, what he brings, the dedication he's put into this team over the last 10 years.
"He's done it all, been through all those moments and the asset that he is.
"Of course, at the moment, it's me that's out there on the pitch, but his experience and his leadership is undeniable."
