Australia will look to become one of the 16 teams that will qualify for the knockout round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup when they take on Denmark on Wednesday.
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah)
Key Statistics
Australia have won six of their last seven games (L1).
They have kept four clean sheets in their last five games.
They have kept just one clean sheet in the World Cup since 1974.
Denmark have lost three of their last six games (W2, D1).
They have kept three clean sheets in their last five games.
Head to head
In four meetings between both sides, Denmark have two wins, while Australia have managed one win. The last time both sides met was in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with the game ending 1-1.
Latest performances in all competitions
Australia: W-L-W-W-W
Denmark: L-D-W-L-W
Australia
Australia will look to make it two wins in two games when they take on Denmark in Doha this Wednesday.
The Socceroos come into this tie on the back of a massive 1-0 win over Tunisia, a win secured courtesy of a well-taken header by Mitchell Duke.
The win was their first World Cup finals win since 2010, while their clean sheet was their first clean sheet since 1974.
With that result, they come into this clash with Denmark needing a positive result to ensure that their hard work against Tunisia takes them over the line. After sarcastically pleading with his critics for “five minutes to enjoy this”, Australian manager Graham Arnold immediately turned to the task at hand, declaring that his side had so far “achieved nothing”.
The last time these two teams met was in Russia, and they played out a 1-1 draw was enough to push Denmark through to the next round. A repeat of that 2018 result will be enough for the Socceroos to progress unless fourth-placed Tunisia can conquer France half an hour away in inner-west Doha.
Possible Australia starting line-up
Matthew Ryan, Fran Karacic, Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Aziz Behich, Mathew Leckie, Jackson Irvine, Aaron Mooy, Craig Goodwin, Mitchell Duke, Riley McGree.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Nathaniel Atkinson
Suspended: None
Denmark
After holding Tunisia in their first World Cup game this year, Denmark found World Cup defending champions France too hot to handle.
The European giants went into their last game with two UEFA Nations League group game wins in their last two meetings with France in the bag. But rather than make it three wins in three against France, Denmark succumbed to a 2-1 loss. This was despite manager Kasper Hjulmand admitting they focused heavily on trying to thwart dual goalscorer Kylian Mbappé.
But after that result, the coach has pointed to his side progressing from the Euro 2020 group stage after losing the first two of their three matches as a source of “hope.”
He will hope that his side can hold on to that ray of hope and defeat Australia to book their place in the next round of the tournament. Establishing a half-time lead could be crucial to their fortunes after failing to win each of their last four matches in 2022 that produced a scoreless opening half (D1, L3).
Possible Denmark starting line-up
Kasper Schmeichel, Joachim Andersen, Andreas Christensen, Simon Kjær, Rasmus Nissen Kristensen, Christian Eriksen, Pierre Emil Højbjerg, Joakim Maehle, Jesper Lindstrøm, Mikkel Damsgaard, Andreas Cornelius.
Injured: Thomas Delaney
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Odds
| Australia to win | Draw | Denmark to win | |
| Odds | 7.50 | 4.20 | 1.50 |
| Probability (%) | 13 | 23 | 64 |
Prediction
Australia 1-0 Denmark
Live Stream
For details, FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 – TV Broadcast / Live Stream
