the most dangerous Denmark, a first with Tunisia and a great unknown… focus on the future opponents of the Blues

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As long as Didier Deschamps will be coach, the France team will not have much to fear from the draws. Since his first international competition in 2014, during the World Cup, Deschamps generally comes across more than affordable groups, except during the last Euro (Portugal, Germany, Hungary). Friday, April 1, the balls of the draw made in Doha once again brought luck, at first sight, to the Blues.

With Denmark, Tunisia and a final opponent to be determined between the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Peru in Group D, Deschamps and his players have every right to hope for a qualification for the round of 16. From today, the coach and his staff will be able to look into their potential opponents.

Denmark, the big piece of the group

Nine and a half months ago, Christian Eriksen, victim of a cardiac arrest, collapsed on the lawn of the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen during the Danes’ first Euro 2021 match against Finland. Three days ago, in this same Parken Stadium, Denmark experienced a national event: for its return to the selection, Christian Eriksen scored against the Netherlands and then in front of the Danish supporters, those who had held their breath faced with their star’s heart attack less than a year ago.

Welded by this event, the Danish players then achieved a feat by reaching the semi-finals of the last Euro – they had however lost their first two matches in the competition – before losing in the semi-finals against England . Eleventh nation in the FIFA rankings, Denmark will undoubtedly be the most formidable opponent for the Blues in Group D.

Led by Kasper Hjulmand and a seasoned and experienced collective, Denmark was, with Germany, the team that took the most points during the World Cup qualifiers in the Europe zone (27 out of 30 possible). The Red and Whites only lost in their last qualifying match in Scotland (0-2). For the France team, Denmark represents both a good and a bad memory.

In 1998 and 2018, the Blues had faced the Danes in their last match of the group stage, for a success (2-1) and a soporific draw (0-0) four years ago. In 2002, on the other hand, Denmark had destroyed the tricolor hopes of a new world title in the last match of the group stage (0-2), on the occasion of the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

This time, before rubbing shoulders with this tough and unpredictable opponent, the Blues will be able to prepare. In recent days, Didier Deschamps feared the lack of preparation of his team for the World Cup. But France will face Denmark in the Nations League in the coming months, with two matches scheduled for June and September. What better way to prepare for this meeting, which will be the second meeting of the Blues during this Qatari World Cup?

France – Denmark, Saturday November 26 at the Lusail stadium.

Tunisia, for a first official match against the Blues

It has become a habit for the France team: in its last seven appearances at the World Cup, it has come across African teams six times. This was not the case in 2018 but the Blues will revive this tradition in Qatar, against Tunisia (35th in the FIFA rankings). The Carthage Eagles have validated their ticket for the World Cup against Mali and will play the World Cup for the second time in a row.

Led by Stéphanois Wahbi Khazri, Tunisia reached the quarter-finals of the last African Cup of Nations. With success – she qualified as one of the best third – before being eliminated by Egypt. For the first time, the Blues and the Eagles of Carthage will face each other in an official match.

The last meeting between the two teams dates back to 2010 during a friendly match in Radès (1-1). Before that, French and Tunisians had already faced each other three times, without any victory for the Eagles of Carthage. The game is coming”special“, as Hugo Lloris explained on the antennas of RMC. “Tunisia will be a special match with the Tunisian community which is quite large in France“, explained the captain of the Blues. The Blues will end their group stage with this match against the Tunisians.

Tunisia – France, Wednesday, November 30 at the Al Rayyan stadium.

Peru favorite against Australia and the United Arab Emirates

It is a first mystery World Cup match that the France team will play on Tuesday, November 22 at the Al-Rayyan stadium. Didier Deschamps and his players will have to wait until June to find out the identity of their opponent. Three teams will compete for this place: the United Arab Emirates (68th in the FIFA rankings), Australia (42nd) and Peru (22nd).

The first two nations will face each other in a first match to determine which one will play the ticket for the World Cup against Peru. A priori, the South American team, which had annoyed the Blues during the group stage in Russia in 2018 (1-0 victory for France) is the best placed to qualify. Australia, which missed direct qualification for the World Cup at the end of March by losing in quick succession to Japan and Saudi Arabia, has not missed the competition since the 2002 edition.

Elimination would be a huge setback for Australian rules football as the United Arab Emirates achieve a genuine feat in qualifying. The Arabian Peninsula team has only participated in one World Cup in its history, in 1990. But the Emiratis, coached by former Argentine footballer Rodolfo Arruabarrena, are the outsiders in this game of musical chairs.

France-United Arab Emirates, Australia or Peru, Tuesday November 22 at the Al-Rayyan stadium.

Group D schedule (AFP)


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