Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand has called on his side to “dream big” when they start their World Cup campaign against Tunisia in Group D, but the North Africans will be out to dash those hopes early.
Denmark — ranked 10th in the world — will be fancied to start with a win at the Education City Stadium. They went all the way to the semifinals of Euro 2020 last summer before bowing out to beaten finalists England.
However, Tunisia cannot be underestimated, having come through CAF qualifying with a two-legged win over Mali on the back of topping their group.
Here’s all the latest team news and lineups ahead of the game on November 22.
MORE: How to watch Denmark vs. Tunisia
Denmark vs. Tunisia lineups
Denmark have had a relatively injury-free build-up to the tournament and Hjulmand has all his options available to him as his side get their campaign underway.
Tunisia’s main issues are around Ellyes Skhiri and Youssef Msakni, but coach Jalel Kadri is unlikely to hold either back, knowing that there are further tough tests against Australia and France to come and that an opening win could be crucial to any hopes of advancing.
Below are the projected starting lineups for both teams ahead of their match at the Education City Stadium on November 21.
Denmark projected starting 11
3-4-2-1, right to left: 1. Schmeichel (GK) – 2. Andersen, 3. Nelsson, 6. A. Christensen – 18. Wass, 23. Hojbjerg, 8. Delaney, 5. Maehle – 11. Olsen, 10. Eriksen – 12. Dolberg
There are no injury concerns for Denmark, as defender Andreas Christensen has recovered from an ankle injury to see minutes with Barcelona before heading to the World Cup.
Forward Jonas Wind is fit to play despite missing Bundesliga side Wolfsburg’s final match before the World Cup break but is unlikely to make the starting 11 anyway.
Tunisia projected starting 11
4-3-3, right to left: 16. Dahmen (GK) – 20. Drager, 6. Bronn, 3. Talbi, 4. Meriah – 18. Chaalali, 17. Skhiri, 14. Laidouni – 25. Slimane, 19. Jaziri, 7. Msakni
Tunisia midfielder Ellyes Skhiri suffered a fractured cheekbone in late October but returned to club action just a week later wearing a mask, while captain Youssef Msakni has also missed club minutes in recent weeks but is likely to make it.
Defender Omar Rekik is out for the tournament after picking up a muscle injury less than a month before the start of the finals.
Denmark vs. Tunisia World Cup squads
Here are the 26 players confirmed in Denmark and Tunisia’s World Cup squads in Qatar:
Denmark
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Kasper Schmeichel | Nice (FRA) | 35 | 86 |
| GK | 16 | Oliver Christensen | Hertha Berlin (GER) | 23 | 1 |
| GK | 22 | Frederik Ronnow | Union Berlin (GER) | 30 | 8 |
| DEF | 6 | Andreas Christensen | Barcelona (SPA) | 26 | 58 |
| DEF | 4 | Simon Kjaer | AC Milan (ITA) | 33 | 121 |
| DEF | 17 | Jens Stryger Larsen | Trabzonspor (TUR) | 31 | 49 |
| DEEF | 2 | Joachim Andersen | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 26 | 19 |
| DEF | 3 | Victor Nelsson | Galatasaray (TUR) | 24 | 7 |
| DEF | 13 | Rasmus Kristensen | Leeds United (ENG) | 25 | 10 |
| DEF | 26 | Alexander Bah | Benfica (POR) | 24 | 4 |
| DEF | 5 | Joakim Maehle | Atalanta (ITA) | 25 | 31 |
| DEF | 18 | Daniel Wass | Brondby (DEN) | 33 | 44 |
| MID | 8 | Thomas Delaney | Sevilla (SPA) | 26 | 20 |
| MID | 10 | Christian Eriksen | Manchester United (ENG) | 30 | 117 |
| MID | 23 | Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg | Tottenham (ENG) | 27 | 60 |
| MID | 14 | Mikkel Damsgaard | Brentford (ENG) | 22 | 18 |
| MID | 15 | Christian Norgaard | Brentford (ENG) | 28 | 17 |
| MID | 7 | Mathias Jensen | Brentford (ENG) | 26 | 20 |
| MID | 25 | Jesper Lindstrom | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 22 | 6 |
| MID | 24 | Robert Skov | Hoffenheim (GER) | 26 | 11 |
| MID | 11 | Andreas Skov Olsen | Club Brugge (BEL) | 22 | 23 |
| FWD | 19 | Jonas Wind | Wolfsburg (GER) | 23 | 15 |
| FWD | 21 | Andreas Cornelius | Copenhagen (DEN) | 29 | 41 |
| FWD | 9 | Martin Braithwaite | Espanyol (SPA) | 31 | 62 |
| FWD | 20 | Yussuf Poulsen | RB Leipzig (GER) | 28 | 68 |
| FWD | 12 | Kasper Dolberg | Sevilla (SPA) | 25 | 37 |
Tunisia
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Aymen Dahmen | CS Sfaxien (TUN) | 25 | 1 |
| GK | Mouez Hassen | Club Africain (TUN) | 27 | 14 |
| GK | Balbouli | Etoile du Sahel (TUN) | 38 | 67 |
| GK | Bechir Ben Said | US Monastir (TUN) | 27 | 7 |
| DEF | Mohamed Drager | Luzern (SUI) | 26 | 33 |
| DEF | Wajdi Kechrida | Atromitos (GRE) | 27 | 8 |
| DEF | Bilel Ifa | Kuwait SC (KUW) | 32 | 36 |
| DEF | Montassar Talbi | Lorient (FRA) | 24 | 20 |
| DEF | Dylan Bronn | Salernitana (ITA) | 27 | 35 |
| DEF | Yassine Meriah | ES Tunis (TUN) | 29 | 48 |
| DEF | Nader Ghandri | Club Africain (TUN) | 27 | 1 |
| DEF | Ali Maaloul | Al Ahly (EGY) | 32 | 82 |
| DEF | Ali Abdi | Caen (FRA) | 28 | 4 |
| MID | Ellyes Skhiri | Koln (GER) | 27 | 45 |
| MID | Aissa Laidouni | Ferencvaros (HUN) | 25 | 25 |
| MID | Ferjani Sassi | Al Duhail (QAT) | 30 | 75 |
| MID | Ghailene Chaalali | ES Tunis (TUN) | 28 | 30 |
| MID | Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane | ES Tunis (TUN) | 23 | 22 |
| MID | Hannibal Mejbri | Birmingham City (ENG) | 19 | 18 |
| FWD | Seifeddine Jaziri | Zamalek (EGY) | 29 | 28 |
| FWD | Naim Sliti | Al-Ettifaq (SAU) | 30 | 67 |
| FWD | Taha Yassine Khenissi | Kuwait SC (KUW) | 30 | 43 |
| FWD | Anis Ben Slimane | Brondby (DEN) | 21 | 24 |
| FWD | Issam Jebali | OB (DEN) | 30 | 9 |
| FWD | Wahbi Khazri | Montpellier (FRA) | 31 | 71 |
| FWD | Youssef Msakni | Al Arabi (QAT) | 32 | 84 |
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