ACRO just can't bear the thought of the Socceroos losing the AFC Asian Cup final. Now that they have made it this far, they simply must go on and win it.
Anything less would be a huge disappointment and an even bigger anti-climax for the rest of us, but, more importantly, the Socceroos should win it and owe it to themselves to win it.
This will obviously be their biggest test. None of the four teams they have beaten in this tournament made it to the last World Cup. The only team they have lost to - and the team they will play again in the final, Korea Republic - did make it to the World Cup.
The cream has come to the surface, in the case of both teams, and the key to the result could be the fact that when they met in the group stage Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou left his first-choice front three players - Tim Cahill, Robbie Kruse and Mathew Leckie - on the bench.
The Socceroos fell a goal behind and for all their trying they couldn't get it back, but Cahill, Kruse and Leckie will be there from the start in the final and that has the potential to change everything.
Korea Republic is yet to concede a goal in this tournament, but it is also yet to face the Socceroos as we really know them. It still shapes as a difficult assignment for the home side, but that should make the difference.
Where is the serial pest?
The tournament has come right down to the pointy end and still serial pest Peter Hore hasn't attempted to disrupt a game. What is going on?
This event was made for the man who infamously invaded the MCG pitch and cut the Iran net down during the 1997 World Cup qualifier against the Socceroos, delaying the game and giving the Iranians a valuable chance to regroup from 2-0 down and eventually knock us out.
Not even in his home city of Newcastle, which has hosted three games, has he surfaced.
Hunter Stadium, or Newcastle Stadium, as it is called during this event, has been the scene of some of Hore's most mischievous deeds, but the semi-final between the Socceroos and UAE - surely a serial pest occasion if ever there was one - came and went without interruption.
He couldn't be saving it up for the third versus fourth playoff at the same venue on Friday - that would just be lame.
Is he planning an entry on the biggest stage of all - in the final between the Socceroos and Korea Republic at Stadium Australia (aka ANZ Stadium) on Saturday? Is he away on holidays? Or has he finally retired from serial pest-like activities?
There has been nothing official from the Hore camp, so ACRO's advice to tournament organisers is to remain vigilant until it's all over.
In the meantime, , and then being escorted from the field by security. Vintage serial pest.
Everything on the menu
Matthew Spiranovic and Tomi Juric are each now just one win away from completing an extraordinary double.
Victory over Korea Republic would make the two Western Sydney Wanderers stars champion of Asia at both club and international level.
The pair were major contributors when the Wanderers beat Al-Hilal in the two-legged final of the AFC Champions League in October-November.
Spiranovic is an automatic selection in the Socceroos starting XI for the final. Juric could get a run off the bench. If he didn't get on and the Socceroos won, it may not strictly be a double for him, but he has played a role in the campaign and would still deserve to celebrate.
Sainsbury talks the talk, Socceroos walk the walk
Trent Sainsbury was right.
Ahead of the semi-final against UAE, the Socceroos central defender described UAE star Omar Abdulrahman as "very tidy on the ball, not the hardest worker and I think we can exploit that". As it turned out, it was like he had seen into the future.
For all his brilliance on the ball, Abdulrahman can be caught walking when the opposition is in possession.
As the Socceroos attacked down the right in the lead-up to their second goal, Abdulrahman could be seen walking back towards goal, down the centre-left area of the field.
When the ball arrived across goal, Socceroos defender Jason Davidson saw an opportunity and zipped in front of the flat-footed Abdulrahman, who took off too late and arrived at the scene just as Davidson put the ball away for a 2-0 lead. Done.
The Twittersphere
We've got our Asian Cup final lead-up injury story. As soon as Socceroos right back Ivan Franjic over-stretched late in the match and pulled up sharply, feeling his groin, you knew we had the "will he or won't he play" scenario.
The professional in Franjic means he isn't even considering the possibility of not playing. His tweet after the game didn't even mention the injury.
