Pim Verbeek's win-loss record as Socceroos coach will surpass Guus Hiddink's if he can mastermind a victory against Qatar in Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier in Brisbane.
Verbeek, who is preparing for his 12th match in charge of the national team, has led Australia to six wins, three draws and two defeats under his command.
Hiddink's 12-match stint in charge of the Socceroos netted seven wins, two draws and three defeats, but it included World Cup qualification and a run in the finals tournament which made the world take notice.
Yet Verbeek's reputation as the Socceroos' big-game hunter is already stacking up as statistically better than Hiddink's, though admittedly he has not yet been tested in sudden-death World Cup finals battle.
In matches that matter, Verbeek has led Australia to four wins, one draw and one loss - six live rubbers which had a direct bearing on Australia's World Cup qualification.
Hiddink coached the Socceroos in eight "live" World Cup qualifiers or finals matches for four wins, one draw and three defeats, including the 1-0 loss to Italy which sent Australia home from the 2006 World Cup.
Verbeek has won important away World Cup qualifiers in the Middle East and Uzbekistan, drawn on the road in China, as well as overcoming every logistical hassle thrown at him - heat, altitude, missing stars and brief preparation time.
And he could further strengthen his big-match reputation if the Socceroos can beat top-of-the-table Qatar, whom the Socceroos have already beaten twice in this World Cup campaign.
While Verbeek has been criticised in some quarters for his pragmatic, results-driven approach, another win against Qatar would surely finish off the remaining doubters.
But Verbeek's players, who continually pay tribute to his attention to detail and his "smarts" when it comes to measuring up opponents, are confident they won't be complacent against the Qataris.
"That's the message I've been trying to say since we got here, that we can't be complacent against them because we've been successful twice against them," Socceroos defender Lucas Neill said.
"I think if anything they'll use that as a positive to try and create a big upset here and what we have to do is make sure we start like we did in Melbourne, quite fast, catch them out and use an element of surprise.
"But we know they will be a different outfit here, a lot more experienced, and they know how close they are getting to the World Cup themselves so it's going to be a difficult game."
Verbeek's smarts are likely to be tested fully by how he structures his defence to combat Qatar's attack, featuring perhaps Asia's most dangerous striker Sebastian Soria Quintana.
In their previous meeting in Doha in June, Jade North and Michael Beauchamp starred as they kept Quintana quiet.
Neither will play at Suncorp Stadium, with Verbeek likely to choose between returning Craig Moore and Chris Coyne to partner Neill in the heart of defence.
Verbeek gave the Socceroos a day off today, and they will train twice tomorrow.
