Beat Cameroon on Thursday evening in Saint Petersburg (1am Friday AEST), and the Socceroos will take a major step towards to the semi-finals.

Draw with the African champions, and Australia’s tournaments hopes will remain alive by a thread. Lose, and Ange Postecoglou’s players might as well head home early.

Here are five things to watch.

Will Ange mix things up?

Expect changes.

That was the message from Postecoglou’s pre-match press conference on Wednesday, where he suggested that the short turn-around time would necessitate a tweaked line-up.

“Given the nature of the tournament with the games so close together, it does not make sense to keep going in with the same 11,” Postecoglou said.

Massimo Luongo is under pressure

“That is not going to work, so we will make at least a couple of changes for tomorrow. But who they are and where they are going to be will just depend on how the players look at training today.”

After his horror showing against Germany, QPR’s Massimo Luongo might find himself replaced by Jackson Irvine or James Jeggo.

A defensive reshuffle could also be on the cards, with the McGowan brothers jostling alongside Alex Gersbach for a spot in the back three.

Cameroon looking for improvement after late loss to Chile

Manager Hugo Broos’ side were bitterly disappointed after keeping the scorching Chilean attack goalless for 81 minutes on Sunday only to lose 2-0 to the South Americans.

Cameroon put in a creditable defensive performance and produced a number of attacking opportunities, but they were let down by nerves and set-piece defending.

Cameroon’s break-out star Christian Bassogog, player of the 2017 African Cup of Nations, was also uncharacteristically quiet against Chile.

Christian Bassogog

If Australia can contain the 21-year-old forward, they will have strong prospects of keeping the opposition scoreless in Saint Petersburg.

Cameroon start the contest with a fitness advantage, having enjoyed an additional rest day. Can they make it count?

The Socceroos have done their homework

Despite having never previously faced Cameroon, the Australian players will know just what to expect from their opponents on Thursday evening.

Postecoglou’s players watched the Cameroon v Chile match on television as a group and have since dissected it with forensic thoroughness to ensure that they are prepared for the African champions.

“They showed in moments against a very good Chilean side that they can be very dangerous, particularly in transition,” Postecoglou said.

Ange Postecoglou knows Cameroon's threat

“That is something we have prepared the players for, but ultimately it comes back to a lesson from the first game: if anything we need to concrete more on ourselves and not pay too much respect to the opposition.

“That will be our focus for this game.”

The team’s research on its forthcoming opposition extended back to the African Cup of Nations in early 2017.

“We have not just watched them in the last game,” Postecoglou continued. “We have been tracked them for a while – we had people at the African Cup of Nations following teams there.”

Saint Petersburg Stadium

The stadium of many names – officially Krestovsky Stadium, Zenit Arena to local fans and the unimaginative Saint Petersburg Stadium to FIFA – has been the subject of much scrutiny in the opening days of the Confederations Cup.

Opened in 2017 several years behind schedule and at an estimated cost exceeding US$1 billion, the venue has endured several teething problems during its short history.

The construction process was marred by corruption and criticisms about labour standards. Since its unveiling, the retractable roof has reportedly started leaking.

Yesterday, the Socceroos were told that they could not train at the 68,134-seater stadium ahead of the game due to concerns about pitch quality. It seems even a billion dollar can’t buy good grass.

At least it is visually-striking, dubbed the UFO by amused locals.

Can Rogic shine again?

Despite periods of anonymity, attacking midfielder Tom Rogic was by far Australia’s best player against Germany on Monday night.

He grabbed an equaliser towards the end of the first half, and fired in the shot that led to Tomi Juric’s goal after the break.

Postecoglou pulled Rogic in the 71st minute as he started to tire, hopefully ensuring that he is fresh to face the Indomitable Lions.

Tom Rogic

But if Rogic is going to shine again, the rest of Australia’s midfield must provide him with better support. He was often isolated against Germany, unable to create movement or receive the ball in space.

If Australia is going to secure a win, attacking creativity from the Canberran will be key.

With Premier League scouts in attendance at the tournament, Rogic might even earn himself a big-money transfer away from Celtic in the process.