Denmark and Tunisia kick off their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign when they go head to head at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday.
Both nations will be looking to claim an early advantage in Group D before group rivals France and Australia square off later in the day.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having won four of their previous five World Cup opening games, Denmark will head into Tuesday in sky-high spirits as they look to kick off their campaign with a bang.
Kasper Hjulmand's men secured their spot in Qatar thanks to a near-perfect qualification campaign, where they finished top of Group F after picking up 27 points from their 10 matches.
The Danes won each of their first nine qualifying matches, scoring 16 goals and keeping five clean sheets, before suffering a 2-0 loss against runners-up Scotland in the group finale on November 15.
They followed this with a solid run in the UEFA Nations League, where they picked up 12 points from a possible 18 to finish second in Group A1, one point off group winners Croatia and seven above third-placed France.
Having also enjoyed an impressive performance at Euro 2020, where they reached the semi-finals before falling short against England in extra time, Denmark have shown that they can compete at the highest level.
Denmark will fancy their chances of not only securing a place in the knockout stages but also topping Group D, having prevailed over France when both sides squared off twice in the Nations League earlier this year.
© Reuters
On the other hand, Tunisia are making a second consecutive appearance at the World Cup after qualifying for the tournament in 2018, which saw their eight-year absence come to an end.
However, the Carthage Eagles' participation in Russia was short-lived, as they picked up three points from their three matches to finish third and suffer another group-stage exit from the tournament.
Tasked with guiding Tunisia to a first-ever knockout-stage appearance, manager Jalel Kadri has his job cut out after being drawn against France, Denmark and Australia for a place in the next round.
The North Africans had endured a shaky qualifying campaign, where they finished two points above runners-up Equatorial Guinea in Group B before narrowly claiming a 1-0 aggregate victory over Mali in the two-legged playoff back in March.
Since their victory over Eric Chelle's side, Tunisia have put together a fine run of results, claiming five wins and one draw from their subsequent seven matches across all competitions — a run which sees them sit top of Group J of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The 2014 AFCON champions, who are ranked 30th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, will head into Tuesday in sky-high spirits following a 2-0 victory over Iran in last week's warm-up friendly.
Team News
© Reuters
Denmark finished with the joint-best defensive record in the World Cup qualifiers, where they conceded just three goals in 10 matches, and Hjulmand will hope for another defensive show of class from his side in Qatar.
That being said, we expect the 50-year-old to name a back four of Daniel Wass, Joachim Andersen, Barcelona man Andreas Christensen and full-back Joakim Maehle, shielding veteran Kasper Schmeichel in goal.
Manchester United summer signing Christian Eriksen, who is third in the nation's all-time appearance chart with 117 senior caps to his name, will be tasked with making things at the centre of the park, alongside Thomas Delaney and Tottenham man Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Eriksen has racked up 39 goals for the Danes and should add extra threat in the attack, where Kaspar Dolberg, Mikkel Damsgaard and Andreas Skov Olsen, who has nine goals involvements in the Belgian top flight this season, will be pushing for starting roles.
Tunisia have named 26 players to represent the nation in Qatar, including Lorient defender Montassar Talbi, Youssef Msakni, who has 17 international goals, and Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri.
However, the Carthage Eagles' squad is headlined by 31-year-old forward Wahbi Khazri, who is second in the nation's goalscoring chart with 24 goals in 72 appearances.
The Montpellier man will spearhead the attack on Tuesday alongside Msakni and 21-year-old Anis Ben Slimane, while we expect a back four of Mohamed Drager, Montassar Talbi, Dylan Bronn Ali Abdi, with Aymen Dahmen in goal.
Denmark possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Wass, Andersen, Christensen, Maehle; Delaney, Eriksen, Emile Hojbjerg; Olsen, Dolberg, Damsgaard
Tunisia possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Drager, Talbi, Bronn, Abdi; Skhiri, Chaaleli, Laidouni; Slimane, Msakni, Khazri
We say: Denmark 3-0 Tunisia
While Tunisia will be looking to cause an upset and kick-start their campaign on a high, they take on a rampant Denmark side who boast the firepower needed to get the job done. Given the gulf in quality and experience between the two nations, we anticipate a one-sided contest with Denmark claiming all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
England
USA
Wales
Iran
