Uruguay vs. Australia is the most intriguing matchup

	Uruguay boasts stars like Marcelo Zalayeta (left) of Juventus but Australia counters with up-and-coming players such as Tim Cahill. Miguel Rojo, Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The mad dash is near an end. With 27 spots in Germany secured, we're in the final, most desperate stages of World Cup '06 qualification: the playoff rounds for the final five berths.

Win and you're in, with a chance to mix it up with the world's best. Lose and you go home a failure, with the next four years to wonder how it came apart.

Soccer-proud Uruguay knows this all too well. It has won the World Cup twice, but has fallen out of the ranks of the world's elite in recent years. As the fifth-place finishers in South America, the Uruguayans now must play a home-and-away playoff with Australia, the Oceania zone champion (the first leg is in Montevideo on Saturday, the second on Nov. 16 in Sydney).

Australia? Sounds like a breeze, right? Not necessarily. This is an intriguing matchup between one nation trying to regain its status as one of the best in the world and another that is desperately trying to become relevant in world soccer -- and it's knocking on the door (sound familiar, America?). As fans know, this is an unpredictable game that often provides surprising results.

Interestingly enough, this is exactly the same scenario as four years ago. Uruguay was the fifth-place finisher in South America, and Australia won the Oceania zone. For Uruguay, the memories are fond ones -- "La Celeste" cruised to a comfortable 3-1 aggregate victory over an inexperienced Australian side, qualifying for its first World Cup since 1990.

Australia has its own memories: The so-called "Socceroos" were cruelly taunted upon their arrival in Montevideo before their painful defeat in the second leg.

Some bitterness lingers, as the Australians are aware they may have to use every trick in the book to overcome a stiff opposition. The Australian federation ruffled some feathers a few weeks ago by refusing Uruguay's request to move the date of the first leg up by a day, and stating it will have no problem postponing the match if its players' security in Montevideo is in danger.

Meanwhile, Uruguay won't admit it, but it's relieved just to be in the playoffs. The team came close to missing the World Cup altogether with some early stumbles in qualifying, but was able to turn it on in time to edge Colombia and Chile for the coveted fifth spot.