Australia face Denmark in their final Group D fixture at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with both teams seeking a place in the Round of 16.
Australia and Denmark will meet on Wednesday in their last matches of the World Cup group stages to decide who will get to the knockout stages from Group D.
Group D is finely poised, with Wednesday’s showdown between the two taking on added significance in the race to qualify for the Last 16. France have already booked their place in the next stage as group winners, with Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia all set to battle it out for the second place.
After claiming a narrow 1-0 hard-fought win over Tunisia, Australia are in pole position to book their place in the next round with three points on the board. Graham Arnold’s troops got off to a dream start in their opening match when Craig Goodwin put them into a first-half lead against defending champions France. But they were soon hit by a reality check as Les Bleus rallied back to thrash them 4-1.
While they never stood a chance of giant-killing and were comfortably beaten by France, there were still some positives to take. They did, however, bounce back in spectacular fashion with a pivotal 1-0 win over Tunisia, courtesy of an expertly-directed header from Mitchell Duke.
This result was remarkable for Australia in the sense that it was their first clean sheet at a World Cup since 1974 and their first victory since 2010 to set them on course to secure a berth in the Round of 16, a feat they have not managed since the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They only need to avoid defeat here to do so, although it is easier said than done against a Denmark side brimming with quality and European talent.
France have qualified for the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup.
This is how Group D looks like…#WCikoKBC ^RO pic.twitter.com/zc9zCCIlRl— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) November 29, 2022
On the other hand, it’s been a frustratingly uninspiring tournament for Denmark. They have failed to live up to their full potential in their first two matches, playing out a scoreless draw with Tunisia before falling to a 2-1 defeat to France, with Kylian Mbappe snatching a late winner to complete his brace, scoring on each side of an Andreas Christensen header.
Given that they were tipped to challenge France for the top spot in the group after beating them twice to top their Nations League group, an early elimination from the tournament would be a massive underachievement. Kasper Hjulmand’s side needs to step up big time, and they will be delighted to still have their fate in their own hands as they enter the final matchday despite not pulling up any trees.
While there is a gulf in quality between these two teams, with everything to play for, there is always the possibility of a surprise result, especially in this year’s tournament, where giant killings have somewhat become a trend.
Team News & Tactics
Australia
We control our destiny.
🇦🇺 v 🇩🇰: 1.12.22, 2am AEDT
📺💻📱: SBS, SBS On Demand#GiveIt100 #FIFAWorldCup #Socceroos pic.twitter.com/diXmu2iJM3— Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 27, 2022
Nathaniel Atkinson missed the triumph against Tunisia due to an ankle injury picked in the France game and remains a concern for this game.
With so much on the line and Denmark a much more difficult test than Tunisia, once can expect Graham Arnold to employ a cautious game plan, with his team content to soak up pressure, lean on their physicality, and hope their strikers will be clinical in front of goal.
Speaking of forwards, Mitchell Duke scored Australia’s winning goal against Tunisia with a fantastic header. The 31-year-old has five goals in his last eight starts for Australia, four of which have come via headers. Good at hold-up play and winning aerial duels, the Socceroos may use him as a traditional target-man striker. Riley McGree has looked like a threat in forward areas for Australia and is a big part of their front-foot pressing.
The Aussie centre-backs, Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles, along with playmaker Aaron Mooy, are very capable of playing long balls up the pitch to make it a very direct game with some tacky aerial duels involved. This is done to take the opposition’s technical midfielders out of the equation.
Full-backs Fran Karacic and Aziz Behich will keep the narrow and compact shape of the back-four to reduce spaces for opposition wingers, while former Brighton shot-stopper Mat Ryan will be manning the goal.
Outside of that, they are very reliant on Mooy to dictate the tempo of the match and to progress the ball into the attacking third. St. Pauli midfielder Jackson Irvine has been in fine form in Germany, racking up 4.9 combined tackles and interceptions per game. He could be the key to stopping Denmark’s dangerous midfield runners and will be supported by
Mathew Leckie was a rampant force on the right flank against France, while Craig Goodwin also gave a good account of himself on the opposite flank. Both will be tasked with making sharp runs in behind while also contributing defensively to keep the second line of defence in shape.
Bench options include lethal striker Jamie Maclaren and Newcastle United wonderkid Garang Kuol, who can both provide a threat to the Danish defence.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Ryan; Karacic, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Leckie, Irvine, Mooy, McGree, Goodwin; Duke
Denmark
Thomas Delaney has been forced to withdraw from Denmark’s World Cup team due to a knee injury. Aside from that, Manager Kasper Hjulmand has a full deck of cards to pick his starting XI to face Australia in what will be a make-or-break game.
The Red and Whites enter the match as massive favourites over Australia and expect the Danish team to dominate this matchup thanks to their top-notch midfield pivot of Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Christian Eriksen, with the latter at the heart of every Danish offensive move.
BREAKING: Denmark confirm midfielder Thomas Delaney will miss the remainder of the World Cup after suffering a knee injury during their 0-0 draw with Tunisia. 🤕 pic.twitter.com/wDVI8zfylI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 23, 2022
Simon Kjaer missed the defeat against France due to thigh discomfort, but he should be available to start here, which will be a big boost for Denmark. The AC Milan defender is an experienced campaigner and has the leadership skills as well as qualities to organise a defensive line.
Otherwise, there are no reasons to change the personnel in the central defence, Joachim Andersen and Andreas Christensen keeping their places at the back. The back three offers an ideal balance of technicality, aerial prowess, and leadership, giving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel excellent coverage in between the sticks.
It is on the other end of the pitch where the problems arise. Interestingly, Denmark have tended to rotate their attackers at the World Cup, as after starting with Andreas Skov Olsen and Kasper Dolberg in the opener, Hjulmand went with a front three of Mikkel Damsgaard, Jesper Lindstrom, and Andreas Cornelius against France.
This suggests the Denmark boss is not sure of his best-attacking combination and how they would gel because even in the Nations League, their top scorer was left wing-back Joakim Maehle, while their second leading goal-getter was Skov Olsen, who has not featured much. It will be interesting to see which attacker lines up here.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Schmeichel; Andersen, Kjaer, Christensen; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Maehle; Skov Olsen, Dolberg, Damsgaard
Key Stats
- This is the second meeting between these two nations at the FIFA World Cup, following a 1-1 stalemate in the group stage of the competition last time out at the 2018 edition in Russia.
- Australia have won just one of their four meetings with Denmark across all competitions (D1 L2), winning a friendly match 1-0 in June 2010.
- Denmark have failed to win their last five World Cup matches.
- Australia have just one win in their last eight games at the World Cup.
- Australia have lost eight of their last 11 World Cup matches against European sides.
Player to watch
Christian Eriksen
In Christian Eriksen, Denmark have one of, if not the best, playmakers in the tournament, and he has fared well in the opening two games. He is undoubtedly the most talented and illustrious player on the pitch. And as always, he holds the key to making Denmark perform better. Eriksen has excellent vision and is the most effective player if the rest of the squad works well around him. And that has not been the case, as he can only do so much on his own.
The attackers in front of him need to start firing, or else Denmark will become a one-horse team. In his two games, the Manchester United midfielder has created seven key passes, taken three shots, and maintained a near-90 percent pass accuracy. He can deliver pinpoint crosses, launch attacks, set up goals, and is a cultured passer of the ball. Eriksen will be an integral player if the Denmark are to break down the stubborn Australian defence.
Prediction
Australia 0-0 Denmark
While Denmark need all three points in this Group D match-up, one point will do for Australia to secure a remarkable progression to the Round of 16. A tweaked game plan and some cagey defensive work should allow the Socceroos to secure that point when all is said and done on Wednesday.
Australia are ranked considerably lower than Denmark by FIFA, but they have demonstrated that they are no pushovers, despite what the bookies say. The Red and Whites are one of the most underperforming sides at this World Cup after being hyped by many as “dark horses” before the tournament.
Only victory will see Denmark qualify here, and even then, they need an already-qualified France to avoid losing their game against Tunisia. Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand would be desperate to have his team get the job done. But they have shown nothing to suggest they are worthy of knockout World Cup football. The only goal they have scored during the tournament so far has come from centre-half Andreas Christensen, which rings alarm bells in itself.
