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Mauricio Pochettino’s team will aim to maintain their winning momentum on home turf, while Australia have already demonstrated their strength and discipline.

Both the United States of America and Australia opened their campaigns with victories – though achieved in markedly different styles.

Team USA were unstoppable in their 4-1 triumph over Paraguay, producing a performance full of attacking flair. In contrast, Australia executed a patient, counter-attacking masterclass to earn a 2-0 win against Turkiye.

This sets up an enticing clash of approaches as the group stage continues, with the two sides meeting at Seattle’s Lumen Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 12pm local time (8pm UK time).

Australia may have seemed overly cautious in their setup against Turkiye, but their strategy was vindicated by the two goals that sealed the victory.

Under Tony Popovic, the Socceroos were content to concede possession, restricting their opponents to speculative long-range efforts before striking decisively on the break.

Nestory Irankunda’s blistering pace made him a constant threat, and he opened the scoring with a superb finish before Connor Metcalfe’s long-distance effort secured the result with 15 minutes remaining.

It would not be surprising to see Australia adopt a similar plan against Pochettino’s men.

The tournament co-hosts delivered a commanding display against Paraguay, with Folarin Balogun netting twice. Damian Bobadilla’s early own goal set the tone before Giovanni Reyna added a stoppage-time strike.

Pochettino, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, will likely be urging his players to produce a repeat performance – and the match could hinge on which team executes its tactical plan more effectively.

On one hand, Australia are expected to provide sterner resistance than Paraguay. On the other, the Americans represent a far more dynamic challenge compared to a Turkiye side missing one of their key attackers.

Even if Christian Pulisic remains an injury concern, the United States should have enough attacking depth to break through. Australia’s counter-attacking quality might see them grab a goal, but sustaining resistance for the full 90 minutes could prove difficult.

A draw would not be a disastrous outcome for either team, but the prediction leans towards a USA victory.

Score prediction: USA 2-1 Australia