Bahrain vs Qatar at the National Stadium, Manama

Number of matches - 26
Bahrain won -8
Qatar won - 7
Draws - 11
Goals by Bahrain - 26
Goals by Qatar - 26

Bahrain host Qatar on Wednesday in Manama and past records show that the odds are stacked against the visiting side.

Qatar have played four matches in Bahrain, lost two and drawn two.

On the other hand, Qatar have played host to the Bahrainis eight times, won four matches, lost two, while two ended in a draw.

The rivalry between the two neighbours dates back to 1970. Bahrain came off 2-1 winners in this Isa Town game, recorded by FIFA as their first ever.

The two have crossed swords 26 times since then and Bahrain hold the slight edge in the head-to-heads, winning one match more than the opposition’s seven. Eleven encounters have seen the sides splitting the honours.

Fate pitted the two together in the qualifiers for the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.

The biggest victory margin goes to Bahrain after they thrashed Qatar 6-2 in a friendly way back in 1972.

The opening leg of the current qualification campaign ended in a 1-1 draw in Doha last September.

Korea Republic vs DPR Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul

Number of matches - 15
Korea Republic won - 6
DPR Korea won - 2
Draws - 7
Goals by Korea Republic - 15
Goals by DPR Korea - 8

Since the division of the Korean peninsula in 1953, Korea Republic and DPR Korea have played 15 matches to date with the former winning six encounters. Seven matches have ended in a draw while DPR Korea has won two.

The hostilities between the two countries ensured that all their matches were played at neutral venues - starting with their first game in Bangkok in 1978 that ended in a goalless draw - until 1990.

The thaw in their relations in the beginning of the nineties saw Korea Republic cross the 38th parallel and make a historic visit to their Northern neighbours in September 1990. The Pyongyang match saw the hosts winning 2-1 while Korea Republic won the return match 1-0 in Seoul two weeks later.

Since then three more matches have taken place in Korea Republic and the hosts have won one and drawn two.

The first leg of the current qualifiers was played in neutral Shanghai and ended in a 1-1 draw.

Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates at the King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh

Number of matches - 27
Saudi Arabia won - 15
UAE won - 6
Draws - 6
Goals by Saudi Arabia - 35
Goals by UAE - 16

Saudi Arabia are the unquestioned boss in this Gulf rivalry. They have won 15 out of 27 matches and lost just six. The remaining games ended in a draw.

The desert saga, as recorded by FIFA, kicked off in 1974 with a friendly that was comfortably won by the Saudis. The domination of the Saudis was such that their foes had to wait until 1982 to pull off their first win.

The Saudis have a strong record at home against most teams and this is particularly true for Wednesday’s opposition. The ’Sons of the Desert’ have won four times, drawn two games, and lost one at home against the UAE.

Their biggest margin of victory is 6-1, recorded in a friendly played at Abha.

The two have also met in the AFC Asian Cup final in 1996 that ended in Saudi Arabia’s favour after extra-time finished goalless and the UAE sharpshooters fell woefully short in the penalties, losing 2-4.

Since 2006, five matches have been chronicled between the two, with Saudi winning all but one, including the last one in January.

Australia vs Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia, Sydney

Number of matches - 1
Australia won - 1
Uzbekistan won - 0
Draws - 0
Goals by Australia - 1
Goals by Uzbekistan - 0

Australia and Uzbekistan have played just once after the Socceroos officially joined AFC in 2006. Australia won this match, the opening leg of the qualifiers, 1-0.