Tunisia’s last five World Cup finals appearances have all ended in first round exits but there is a real belief they can end that disappointing run in Qatar as they prepare to face Denmark in their Group D opener at Education City Stadium on Tuesday.
Coach Jalel Kadri concedes the weight of past failures hangs heavy over his side, but there is hope will can get off to a positive start against the Danes and build momentum in a difficult pool that also contains France and Australia.
“Our group will not be easy, the draw has not been kind,” he told reporters on Monday. “Denmark is among the best squads in Europe. We know they have high quality in every department.
“But we will give our all. We have our strengths, but we also know our weaknesses. We are aware we will be compared to past Tunisia squads.”
Former national team assistant Kadri took over as head coach after a quarter-final exit for the team at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in February, and immediately led the side to World Cup qualification, losing one of his eight games in charge, a 5-1 reversal at the hands of Brazil.
“In terms of performance, we feel good, we are calm and happy with the results we have achieved. We are representing all Arab nations and we deserve to be here,” he said.
Tunisia have two players in the Danish league, Anis Ben Slimane at Brondby and Issam Jebali with Odense.
The latter says he has not been able to provide any special insight into Tuesday’s opponents as the Tunisian technical team have been meticulous in their planning.
“We have a great technical staff and they have prepared well for the game,” Jebali says. “We know the Danish set-up, how they play and even how they think. We have a very good chance, we are a good squad. We are strong, we trust each other and have a good team spirit.”
Neither Kadri nor Jebali would be drawn on the issue of captains at the World Cup wearing a “OneLove” armband in support of the LGBTQ community, which FIFA said on Monday will result in a booking.
“I think everyone has spoken about of this, we are in an Arab country and we have to respect the culture,” Kadri says. “For us as athletes, this is not something that concerns us, we are here to play.”
Jebali added he was, “focusing only on football”.
Dark horses
Denmark go into their opening World Cup game against a tricky Tunisia side on Tuesday in the unusual position of being among Europe’s dark horses, in with an outside chance of winning the tournament if they can get everything right in Qatar.
The key group game will be against France, a side they beat twice in the recent Nations League campaign. But first they will need to ensure that there are no slip-ups in their opener against the Tunisians, who beat Iran 2-0 in their final pre-World Cup friendly.
To ensure the best possible start, the Danes will turn to playmaker Christian Eriksen, who suffered a heart attack in their Euro 2020 opener against Finland in Copenhagen but who has since made a full recovery.
“After he came back, it’s been unbelievable. The second he stepped into the pitch for the first time in Amsterdam, playing against Holland, he just took control of the match and scored, and since then, he’s just been better and better,” coach Kasper Hjulmand told Reuters in a recent interview.
Hjulmand has kept faith with many of the squad that pulled together in the wake of Eriksen’s near-fatal collapse, and the fact that the 30-year-old playmaker is fully fit will make a huge difference.
Eriksen’s World Cup debut came in South Africa, but back then he was a teenager just breaking through in the senior ranks of the national team. He comes to Qatar as a Manchester United player acknowledged as one of the world’s best in opening up stubborn defences.
A 5-1 drubbing by Brazil in Paris aside, Tunisia’s recent performances have been steady without being spectacular, but they are still capable of punishing any mistakes the Danes might make.
At the 2018 World Cup they held England scoreless until Harry Kane scored in the 91st minute to give the English a narrow win.
Appearing at their sixth finals, Tunisia have never made the knockout stage. Being drawn in a group with Denmark, France and Australia has left them with something of a mountain to climb.
To do so they will have to shackle Eriksen, something few sides in international football have managed to do with any great success.
“He is the rhythm, he is the heart of our team, the pulse of our play. He’s a tremendous football player,” Hjulmand said, and now Tunisia have to find a way to stop him.
