World Cup Group D guide: Champions could struggle against Danes
Published:
World Cup Group D guide and odds
The 2022 World Cup starts on Sunday and Ladbrokes are producing guides on all eight groups to put you in the picture for the tournament.
You can read all the latest on England and Wales as we provide odds and features on the two nations and also have the latest World Cup winner odds.
Our World Cup Group D guide covers France, Denmark, Tunisia and Australia as we take a look at all four nations, the dark horses, players to watch and a prediction on where they will finish in the group.
Defending champions France are 2/5 favourites to reach the knockout stage as group winners but let’s look at their prospects and those of their rivals.
France
Les Bleus qualified comfortably as group winners in an unbeaten campaign, although they drew three of their eight games, two of which came against Ukraine.
France have one of the deepest squads and most potent attacks in world football but midfielder Paul Pogba has been ruled out having undergone knee surgery in September, and their defence is under scrutiny having conceded six goals at last year’s disappointing European Championship campaign.
Didier Deschamps’ side are third favourites to win the World Cup behind Brazil and Argentina but won just one of their Nations League games and would have been relegated had Austria managed to beat Croatia in their final match.
Their toughest group game comes against Denmark, who beat Les Bleus home and away in the Nations League. The sides also met in an abysmal goalless draw during the group phase at the last World Cup.
The pressure will be on to win the group to avoid a potential round of 16 tie against Argentina, with the winner likely to face either Mexico or Poland.
Head coach: Didier Deschamps is in charge for the 10th year and hopes to go out on a high with his contract expiring at the end of the World Cup.
Players to watch: There is talent in every position but their front three will strike fear into the hearts of every defender they face. Fourteen of France’s 18 goals in qualifying came from either Kylian Mbappe (5), Karim Benzema (3) or Antoine Griezmann (6).
Fixtures:
Australia: Nov 22, 19.00, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, BBC
Denmark: Nov 26, 16.00, Stadium 974, Doha, ITV
Tunisia: Nov 30, 15.00, Education Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC
Verdict: France’s defeats against Denmark and their disappointing Euro 2020 campaign means they look shaky odds-on favourites to win the group but they should qualify with ease and it would be no surprise if they lift the trophy again.
Prediction: Second in group
Denmark
The Danes are on a high after qualifying in style by winning the first eight of their 10 games without conceding and scoring 27 goals during that spell.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side also reached the semi-finals of the European Championship, despite talisman Christian Eriksen suffering a cardiac arrest in their opening game against Finland, and they beat France twice in their Nations League group only to finish runners-up behind Croatia.
Andreas Cornelius scored both goals in a 2-1 comeback win against the World Cup holders in Paris and in September first-half goals from Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen sealed a 2-0 victory in Copenhagen, so their tails are up as they look to qualify for the last 16 for only the third time this century.
Head coach: Kasper Hjulmand will do well to repeat Denmark’s semi-final appearance at the Euros but hopes are high of another successful tournament. Advocates a 4-3-3 formation, although likes a 3-4-3 against strong teams.
Players to watch: Denmark are all about the team collective rather than individual brilliance but Eriksen remains the architect of the side. Atalanta wing-back Joakim Maehle and Club Brugge winger Skov Olsen were the joint top scorers in qualifying with five apiece, but the lack of a quality centre forward is a concern.
Fixtures:
Tunisia: Nov 22, 13.00, Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
France: Nov 26, 16.00, Stadium 974, Doha, ITV
Australia: Nov 30, 15.00, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, BBC
Verdict: The Danes sauntered through qualifying and it would not be a shock if they finished top of the group and avoided Argentina in the knockout stage.
Prediction: Group winners
Tunisia
The Eagles of Carthage are making their sixth appearance at the World Cup but as yet have never progressed beyond the group and have only ever won two matches.
Tunisia became the first African team to win a match at the World Cup finals when they beat Mexico on their tournament debut in 1978 and four years ago overcame a half-time deficit to beat Panama 2-1 in their final game in Russia where they had lost 2-1 to England in the group stage courtesy of Harry Kane’s stoppage-time winner.
The Tunisians are strong defensively and have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight games, including a 1-0 victory over Mali over two legs to qualify for the World Cup, but they will need to beat Australia and get a result against either France or Denmark if they are to make history.
Head coach: Jalel Kadri has been in charge since the end of January and oversaw 2-0 and 3-0 victories against Chile and Japan to win the Kirin Cup in June, although his unbeaten start ended in a 5-1 defeat by Brazil in their final warm-up. Likely to go with a 4-5-1 formation
Players to watch: Seifeddine Jaziri has scored 10 goals in 28 appearances for Tunisia and has helped Zamalek win the Egyptian title in the last two seasons. Much will also be expected of centre-backs Dylan Bronn and Montassar Talbi. Aissa Laidouni could also prove influential in midfield.
Fixtures:
Denmark: Nov 22, 13.00, Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
Australia: Nov 26, 10.00, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, ITV
France: Nov 30, 15.00, Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, BBC
Verdict: Unlikely to progress beyond the group stage but could prove to be a tough nut to crack as England found out in Russia.
Prediction: Third
Australia
The Socceroos are are competing in their fifth successive finals and are up against France and Denmark in the group stage once again as they were in Russia where they were nine minutes away from earning a point against Les Bleus which they followed with a 1-1 draw against the Danes.
They still had a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage but lost to Peru in their final group game, although Denmark’s drab goalless draw with France meant they could not have progressed.
To complete the circle, the Aussies gained revenge by beating Peru on penalties in an inter-continental play-off to secure their spot at the World Cup for the fifth consecutive time having beaten the UAE 2-1 in the fourth round.
Australia won just one of their last six qualifiers in the group stage, so with tougher teams to come, they would be happy just to beat Tunisia.
Head coach: Graham Arnold made a big call in taking off Mat Ryan and bringing on Andrew Redmayne for the penalty shoot-out against Peru – a gamble which paid off.
Players to watch: Arnold will be relieved Tom Rogic found a club outside the transfer window having joined West Brom as a free agent. Celtic midfielder Aaron Mooy will pull the strings in attack while Hibs forward Martin Boyle will pose a threat up front, although he has been struggling with injury. Teenager Garang Kuol, who will join Newcastle in January, is a wildcard selection and could spring a surprise.
Fixtures:
France: Nov 22, 19.00, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, BBC
Tunisia: Nov 26, 10.00, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, BBC
Denmark: Nov 30, 15.00, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, BBC
Verdict: Their second game against Tunisia will be crucial to their hopes of making it through to the knockout stage for the first time since 2006.
Prediction: Fourth
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
