Tehran (Iran) - All of a sudden, Iran have their backs against the wall as they have to defeat powerhouse Australia to ensure qualification to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

Key matchup:

Iran's Mohammad Jamshidi is coming off an amazing scoring explosion against Japan, scoring 33 points on 11-of-21 field goal shooting to go with 5 assists and 2 three-pointers. Team Melli will need the 27-year-old wingman to be at his sharpest once more for them to stand a chance against bigger and deeper Boomers squad that will be led by former Brooklyn Net Mitch Creek, who just scored 12 points in an easy win over Kazakhstan. The 6ft 6in (1.97m) guard-forward will play in just his sixth Asian Qualifiers fixture, but he is expected to make a major impact once more for the Green & Gold.

X-factor:

 
In such an important match, the x-factor will likely not be one single player but will be the absence of one particular coach. Australian head coach Andrej Lemanis will not be around for this game as he flew back home to coach the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL Finals. In his stead, assistant coach Adam Caporn will be calling the shots. Another Australian, Jock Landale, has also headed off, returning to Serbian club Partizan Belgrade. This could be a major development, especially if Iran manages to stick close to the Australians and force the visitors into tough late-game situations.

Iran outlook:

 
The home team will have a lot of motivation to deal the Boomers their second loss of the Asian Qualifiers. First, Iran still want payback for the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 Final defeat. Next, Iran lost by 29 points to Australia in the previous window - their worst loss in the Asian Qualifiers. Lastly, Iran are fighting for their qualification hopes. A win will certainly be enough to qualify them to the World Cup, but a loss may drop them as low as 4th place in Group F. That can potentially put their qualification in peril. For Iran to avoid these complications, the winning formula is simple: their defense must hold, their bigs must step up and their main scorers (Mohammad Jamshidi and Behnam Yakhchali) must both click.

Australia outlook:

 
Even without coach Lemanis and Landale and even if they'll play in hostile territory, the Boomers are heavy favorites to pick up their eleventh Asian Qualifiers win. This whole qualification process has been a testament to the depth and breadth of Australia's talent pool, and they've repeatedly shown why they are an elite team not just in FIBA Asia but at the world level. It may be easy to imagine the Boomers relaxing a bit since this game has no tangible and immediate bearing for them, but remember that many of the young bucks on this squad are playing for possible spots on the final World Cup roster. Don't be shocked if they are pedal to the metal all the way.

FIBA