Match Previews
World Cup 2018
Round Group C
Denmark
Last updated: Tue 26 June 2018 07:44Still all to play for after recording a 1-1 draw against Australia. A point will be enough to seal the ticket for the next round. Poulsen is suspended for the upcoming game. Kvist remains sidelined, Schone is set to start.
Denmark produced another far from impressive performance against Australia on Thursday, but it was enough at the end of the day to share the points with the opponent. Christian Eriksen put Denmark in the driver's seat after seven minutes of play, but Mile Jedinak's spot kick levelled the score later on: 1-1.
Denmark's performance simply wasn't satisfying, but Age Hareide's men did claim four points out of their first two games, which puts them in a decent position with the final match against France coming up. A draw against the French will be enough to seal the deal, while a defeat could be enough as well if Australia fails to beat Peru.
Hareide will have to tune his team again though for this nail-biting decider as two regulars won't be able to start. William Kvist broke two ribs in the opening match against Peru and he will sit this one out as a result as well. The experienced Lasse Schone is now set to team up with Thomas Delaney again on the defensive part of the midfield.
That isn't all though. Yussuf Poulsen collected his second yellow card of the tournament against Australia, which resulted in an automatic ban for the third group match. It remains to be seen who will replace him. Andreas Cornelius for instance seems like a decent option for this position, while Martin Braithwaite will push for a starting spot as well.
Denmark managed to stay unbeaten in their last seventeen matches and their confidence should be there with that in mind, but they should book progression as well. The last two performances against Peru and Australia weren't impressive, but Hareide isn't expected to make surprising changes.
Denmark's defence could be the key to success again. The Danish back four only conceded three goals in the last ten games, which is a satisfying statistic to say the least.
France
Last updated: Tue 26 June 2018 08:15France too strong for Peru last time out. Perfect through two games. Umtiti and Rami unlikely to play. Events elsewhere may see a strong team deployed to win the group. Six changes expected.
France moved through into the last 16 of the World Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over Peru on Thursday. Kylian Mbappe got the only goal of the game in the first half, when Les Bleus were the better side. They had to withstand pressure in the second but did so successfully.
Didier Deschamps’ side have won both of their opening two fixtures by the same scoreline but have not looked especially convincing as they have done so. There is a sense that, though they are improving, issues need to be ironed out yet.
France are unbeaten in their last six games and have won five of those.
There are no injury issues that need to be addressed in the France squad, while there are no suspension problems either. Laurent Koscielny failed to make the squad due to serious injury.
Central midfielders Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Corentin Tolisso have all been booked and will be banned if they are cautioned again.
Argentina’s failings in Group D may inspire Deschamps to field a stronger side in this game than he might otherwise have done; the prospect of facing Iceland in the last 16 should be seen as an enticing one and a far better bet than playing Croatia, who will likely win that pool.
Djibril Sidibe says he is at "1000%" after injury. Samuel Umtiti and Adil Rami have not trained fully and are unlikely to feature in any capacity.
Six changes have been predicted by local media in Deschamps' starting XI.
Hugo Lloris won his 100th cap for France last time out; the seventh player to have done so in history.
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4-2-3-1 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| K. Schmeichel | |||
| H. Dalsgaard | |||
| S. Kjaer | |||
| A. Christensen | |||
| J. Larsen | |||
| L. Schöne | |||
| T. Delaney | |||
| M. Braithwaite | |||
| C. Eriksen | |||
| P. Sisto | |||
| N. Jorgensen |
4-2-3-1 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mandanda | |||
| D. Sidibe | |||
| R. Varane | |||
| P. Kimpembe | |||
| L. F. B. Hernandez | |||
| S. N'Zonzi | |||
| N. Kante | |||
| O. Dembele | |||
| A. Griezmann | |||
| T. Lemar | |||
| O. Giroud |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. Ronnow | |||
| J. Lössl | |||
| M. 'Zanka' Jorgensen | |||
| J. Vestergaard | |||
| J. Knudsen | |||
| L. Lerager | |||
| M. Krohn-Dehli | |||
| A. Cornelius | |||
| V. Fischer | |||
| K. Dolberg |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. Lloris | |||
| A. Areola | |||
| B. Pavard | |||
| S. Umtiti | |||
| A. Rami | |||
| B. Mendy | |||
| B. Matuidi | |||
| C. Tolisso | |||
| P. Pogba | |||
| K. Mbappe | |||
| N. Fekir | |||
| F. Thauvin |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| K. Schmeichel | |||
| H. Dalsgaard | |||
| S. Kjaer | |||
| A. Christensen | |||
| J. Larsen | |||
| L. Schöne | |||
| T. Delaney | |||
| M. Braithwaite | |||
| C. Eriksen | |||
| P. Sisto | |||
| N. Jorgensen |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. Ronnow | |||
| J. Lössl | |||
| M. 'Zanka' Jorgensen | |||
| J. Vestergaard | |||
| J. Knudsen | |||
| L. Lerager | |||
| M. Krohn-Dehli | |||
| A. Cornelius | |||
| V. Fischer | |||
| K. Dolberg |
France
Last updated: Tue 26 June 2018 08:15France too strong for Peru last time out. Perfect through two games. Umtiti and Rami unlikely to play. Events elsewhere may see a strong team deployed to win the group. Six changes expected.
France moved through into the last 16 of the World Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over Peru on Thursday. Kylian Mbappe got the only goal of the game in the first half, when Les Bleus were the better side. They had to withstand pressure in the second but did so successfully.
Didier Deschamps’ side have won both of their opening two fixtures by the same scoreline but have not looked especially convincing as they have done so. There is a sense that, though they are improving, issues need to be ironed out yet.
France are unbeaten in their last six games and have won five of those.
There are no injury issues that need to be addressed in the France squad, while there are no suspension problems either. Laurent Koscielny failed to make the squad due to serious injury.
Central midfielders Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Corentin Tolisso have all been booked and will be banned if they are cautioned again.
Argentina’s failings in Group D may inspire Deschamps to field a stronger side in this game than he might otherwise have done; the prospect of facing Iceland in the last 16 should be seen as an enticing one and a far better bet than playing Croatia, who will likely win that pool.
Djibril Sidibe says he is at "1000%" after injury. Samuel Umtiti and Adil Rami have not trained fully and are unlikely to feature in any capacity.
Six changes have been predicted by local media in Deschamps' starting XI.
Hugo Lloris won his 100th cap for France last time out; the seventh player to have done so in history.
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mandanda | |||
| D. Sidibe | |||
| R. Varane | |||
| P. Kimpembe | |||
| L. F. B. Hernandez | |||
| S. N'Zonzi | |||
| N. Kante | |||
| O. Dembele | |||
| A. Griezmann | |||
| T. Lemar | |||
| O. Giroud |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. Lloris | |||
| A. Areola | |||
| B. Pavard | |||
| S. Umtiti | |||
| A. Rami | |||
| B. Mendy | |||
| B. Matuidi | |||
| C. Tolisso | |||
| P. Pogba | |||
| K. Mbappe | |||
| N. Fekir | |||
| F. Thauvin |