Tom Rogic's injury-time rocket sealed the victory but the Socceroos fluffed a number of opportunities to score midway through the second half which would have put the game to bed much earlier.

Good teams tend to punish that sort of profligacy and while Australia got away with it on the night, they will need to discover a killer instinct if they are to go deep into the tournament.

"We had three great chances to kill the game off. It's just about making the right decisions at the right time and being ruthless," Arnold said.

"It's about improvement in every game. The four months that I've been in charge, the seven games that I've been in charge, I've see improvement in every game. We've changed the style completely and it takes time.

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"The boys are adapting enormously well to the changes and I expect a bigger improvement (against Uzbekistan). They've had a three-day turnaround. We've had five. We're mentally fresh. We feel great, ready to go into this game."

Australia has already had a good chance to look at their opponents in the flesh. The teams have been staying at the same hotel in Al Ain - a peculiar arrangement for major tournaments like the Asian Cup.

"It's probably the first time I've ever seen it in my time in international football. It's the way it is," Arnold said. "We get to say hello to them every morning and good night every night. It's nice."

Arnold's counterpart, Uzbekistan coach Hector Cuper, is also humoured by the close proximity.

"There is nothing to worry about," the Argentine said. "We can live together. Every day we meet each other, there is not any conflict, it is a good atmosphere. We even meet in the elevator every day. We're like friends already."

Despite the cordial nature of those comments, it's clear Uzbekistan has a score to settle with Australia. They were smashed 6-0 the last time they met the Socceroos back in the semi-finals of the 2011 Asian Cup, and three players who featured in that match are in their current squad, including midfield star and skipper Odil Ahmedov.

Midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov was still a teenager at the time but remembers the hurt it caused him and his country, and is keen to deliver some payback.

"I was a kid. I watched this game," Masharipov said. "I was sad, but I can say we want to compensate this defeat. We want to beat (them) this time for our players who lost in 2011. It will be some kind of revenge."