TUNISIA – AUSTRALIA | Saturday 11:00 am
Pressing, aggression and above all total verticality. With these three ingredients, Tunisia surprised the better-ranked Denmark on their debut, “caging” Eriksen and his team-mates and forcing them to a 0-0 draw that maintains an unexpected balance in Group D. That would be the group of reigning world champions France, who already proved their strength on the first day, outclassing Australia 4-1 and immediately attempting to escape. Awaiting the big match between Didier Deschamps’ men and Kasper Hjulmand’s, Tunisia and Australia will therefore battle it out in an attempt to see if there are margins to hope for a qualification to the round of 16 that for both would be miraculous.
Tunisia, as we said, did not demerit at all against the Danes and in the end got what they wanted: to avoid defeat in order to continue dreaming. Jalel Kadri’s men showed that they could count on impeccable organisation of play, but also on an agonistic nastiness that never hurts in these short tournaments. Then, in the second half, came the inevitable drop: the changes made by Denmark’s technical commissioner produced a white-knuckle assault in the Tunisian area, but with a bit of luck – striker Cornelius hit an incredible post from two steps – the North African national team resisted, managing to snatch a very precious point.
Against Australia, however, a different performance will be needed, considering that the Socceroos’ quality is clearly inferior to that of the Scandinavians: it will therefore have to be the Tunisians who take the initiative. Coach Arnold, in fact, has little to reproach himself for. The defeat against France was to be expected, yet there are several things to ‘save’. First of all, there was the courageous start that caught the transalpines off guard, as they were clumsily trailing: Goodwin scored the goal that unblocked the game, doing well to find himself ready on Leckie’s perfect assist. It was a joy that lasted only a few minutes, however: on the half-hour mark France came out on top and the Australian defence could only try to limit the damage, suffering a real siege.
Tunisia-Australia: latest line-up news
Goodwin
Kadri, Tunisia’s technical commissioner, has no injury problems to contend with after the first match. The starting eleven should be more or less the one that faced Denmark. A 3-4-3 with Ben Slimane and Msakni behind the only striker Jebali, who will not be a goleador but against the Danes did an excellent job in the non-possession phase. Khazri, one of the most awaited players, will again sit on the bench: this time it is likely that the Montpellier fantasist will enter in the second half. Confirmed in midfield is the volcanic Laidouni, a warrior in his debut.
The Australian selector is unlikely to make any changes, as he is inclined to re-propose the same formation that played against France. A four-man defence with Mooy at centre-half and Duke the lone forward, ready to be set up by wingers Leckie and Goodwin, one of the best performers in the Bleus match.
The Prediction
Two teams who, on the whole, performed well in their first match, just doing what they do and exploiting their physicality. Both, however, showed great offensive limitations, as demonstrated by the few shots towards the opponent’s goal: one for Tunisia, one also for Australia. Overall, the North Africans, who are more solid at the tactical level, appear to be slight favourites and should come out on top in a match of less than three goals in total. It cannot be ruled out that the second half will be more eventful than the first.
The likely line-ups for Tunisia-Australia
- TUNISIA (3-4-3): Dahmen; Bronn, Meriah, Talbi; Drager, Skhiri, Laidouni, Abdi; Khazri, Jebali, Msakni.
- AUSTRALIA (4-1-4-1): Ryan; Atkinson, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Mooy; Leckie, Irvine, McGree, Goodwin; Duke.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0
