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Feisty Denmark take on Tunisia in Group D that contains champions France
Denmark to win 2-0
Tournament: FIFA World Cup 2022 | Venue: Al Rayyan, Education City Stadium
Bet NowGroup D contains current champions France, and therefore the expectation is that Denmark, Tunisia and Australia will be fighting for second place.
Denmark are naturally the best placed to achieve this, what with their tournament experience and sprinkling of quality throughout the squad.
They reached the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as well as Semi Finals at Euro 2020, proving that this is a well-drilled and confident squad.
Tunisia, like Denmark, are at their second World Cup in a row and their sixth overall. They have never made it past the group stage, and you would think that they’ll need a shock result against either Denmark or France to do so here.
African nations have improved over the years, although Tunisia are seen as being behind the likes of Senegal and Morocco in that respect.
Will there be a shock result here?
FIFA Ranking: 10
Predicted Finish: Round of 16
Reasons to be cheerful:
Have big tournament experience as well as recent success
Quality players like Christian Eriksen can produce moment of quality
Reasons to be fearful:
Will struggle to score against the bigger teams
Rely heavily on their fanbase support
If anyone doubts the quality that Denmark possess, they should look at their record during qualifying.
The Danes won all of their first nine games, conceding just a single goal, before a defeat in the final game to Scotland meant that, alongside Germany, they were the best team in qualifying with 27 points.
Despite scoring 30 goals during that campaign, no one individual netted more than five times, showing that they don’t necessarily have a star performer upfront.
That could hamper their chances of progressing later into the tournament, although it also means that they have an unpredictability about them.
Denmark will be eyeing that 2nd spot in the group, with a game against France likely to be the decider in the group.
They shouldn’t have too many problems here, however.
Star Man – Christian Eriksen
Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020 and his career looked over. Fast-forward 18 months and he is starring for Manchester United and back to his best form for country. A sensational journey for the midfielder.
FIFA Ranking: 30
Predicted Finish: Group Stage
Reasons to be cheerful
Are looking to claim only their third World Cup win
Have a blend of youth and experience in their squad
Reasons to be fearful
Will only be competing for 3rd spot with Australia
Struggled to find the net in qualifying
In reality, you feel that Tunisia’s most realistic hope is beating Australia into 3rd place.
To come ahead of either France or Denmark into 2nd would be one of the great shocks in World Cup history.
It’s not as if they have been banging in the goals of late, either. They made it past their final round of qualification with a 1-0 win against Mali over two legs.
Looking at their squad, there is a positive blend of youth and experience for their manager, Jalel Kadri, to choose from. Manchester United’s Hannibal Mejbri is included, as is a collection of four goalkeepers.
They are more likely to have a larger fanbase here than Denmark, due to geographical location, which could give them a boost.
Star Man – Youssef Msakni
Plays his club football in Qatar, so will be at home here. Msakni is Tunisia’s best player, with 17 goals in his 84 appearances to date. He missed the 2018 World Cup through injury, so will be desperate to impress here.
Denmark’s midfield quality will see them control the game
Could be a game light on goals
Loser will struggle to qualify
While each team plays three equally important games during the group stage, the first feels more crucial due to the implications it can have on the remainder of the group.
Denmark then go onto play France, before finishing off with Australia. Claiming three points here, then, is essential to their chances of going through. They don’t want to have to rely on other teams dropping points.
Tunisia must try and claim a draw here, if not a victory, and then hope to win their game against Australia.
Denmark have the quality, but must put it to good use.
Denmark to win 2-0
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