AUSTRALIA – DENMARK | Wednesday 4pm
In Group D, reigning world champions France have not disappointed expectations, they have broken the taboo that since 2010 has seen the national team go out after the group stage and have qualified for the round of 16 with two rounds to spare. Only one place remains, therefore, to pass the round and finish among the top sixteen. And competing for it will be Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. The North Africans, after their excellent debut against the Danes, were surprisingly beaten by the Socceroos, now have only one point and seem to be out of the game, since they are obliged to beat Didier Deschamps’ Bleus on the last day. This means that the one between Graham Arnold’s men and Kasper Hjulmand’s becomes a decisive direct clash that puts the last available slot up for grabs.
And the sensational thing is that it is Australia who will have a small but significant advantage: having two points more than Denmark they can play for two out of three results.
With a draw, in fact, the only representative of the oceanic continent in this World Cup would surprisingly reach the knockout stage, a feat they have not achieved since 2006. And it would do so against all odds, if we consider that it was almost given up for dead on the eve of the championship. Having arrived in Qatar through the inter-zone play-offs, Australia, despite not having any big names – the squad appears decidedly less strong than in previous editions – managed to give France a scare in the first match, finding the winning goal in the first few minutes (it then ended 4-1 to the French) but then won the ‘battle of nerves’ with the Tunisians: the decisive goal came from the striker Duke after half-time.
Denmark, on the other hand, is one of the big disappointments of the group stage. Eriksen and his team-mates reached the semi-finals at Euro 2020 and dominated the World Cup qualifiers, but they have failed to impress in Qatar so far. First the half-hearted misstep against Tunisia (0-0), then the defeat against France (2-1) by Kylian Mbappé, whose double made Andreas Christensen’s momentary equaliser in vain. To advance to the round of 16, the minimum goal of this expedition, a win is absolutely necessary. In order to do so, they will have to unblock in attack, the department most in trouble in their first two outings.
Australia-Denmark: latest line-up news
No doubts for Australia selector Arnold, who will confirm the 4-3-3 and the starting eleven in the challenge against Tunisia. Karacic, a full-back we are used to seeing in the Brescia shirt in Serie B, will be back at right-back, while in attack Duke, who scored the decisive goal against the North Africans, will be supported by Goodwin – one of the best on the pitch last Saturday – and the experienced Leckie, who featured in Russia in 2018. Director entrusted again to Mooy, a midfielder who plays in Europe with Celtic. Atkinson, who was injured on his debut against France, is unlikely to recover.
It will still be 3-4-3 for Denmark, although the ballot between Dolberg and Cornelius in the centre of the attack will come up again. This time the Sevilla centre-forward should prevail, while in the offensive trident Skov Olsen will be back after Hjulmand preferred Lindstrom to him against Tunisia. In defence Nelsson will again replace Milan’s Kjaer, who does not give the right guarantees from a physical point of view.
The prediction
Denmark also ended up on the brink a year and a half ago at the European Championship, when they only qualified on the last day despite losing the first two. It would not be surprising if we witnessed a similar outcome, considering that with a win the Danes would be certain to go through. Australia, however, proved to be very skilful in the non-possession phase, although they were among the teams that created the fewest chances. We are likely to witness a long Scandinavian siege, along the lines of the match against Tunisia. Although this time Denmark, which has more quality than the Australians, should be able to come out on top in a match where the total number of goals will be less than three. It cannot be ruled out that the first half will end in a draw.
Australia-Denmark line-ups
- AUSTRALIA (4-5-1): Ryan; Karacic, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Leckie, Irvine, Mooy, McGree, Goodwin; Duke.
- DENMARK (3-4-3): Schmeichel; Andersen, Kjaer, Christensen; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Maehle; Skov Olsen, Dolberg, Damsgaard.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 0-2
