Tunisia's odds to win the World Cup
400/1
Best World Cup
Group stage five times
2018 World Cup
Group stage
Tunisia's World Cup Schedule
|
Date |
Fixture |
Location |
|
22nd November 1pm |
Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan |
|
|
26th November 10am |
Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah |
|
|
30th November 3pm |
Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan |
Road to Qatar
Tunisia opened their qualifying games by beating Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Mauritania to put themselves in charge of their group, and despite slipping to one defeat, they beat Zambia again 3-1 to clinch top spot. That earned a playoff against Mali, whose unfortunate own goal in the opening leg proved to be decisive, as no further goals were scored in either leg, taking the Tunisians to the finals for the sixth time in their history.
Recent form
It's been a busy year for Tunisia, who have taken the field no less than 21 times in various competitions and friendlies since November last year. Twelve wins, two draws and seven defeats later, Tunisia should be better prepared than most in Qatar, and they will have taken heart from wins over Chile (2-0) and Japan (3-0) during the summer. However, a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Brazil in their final warm-up game gives an indication of the gulf in class that they will need to close to progress beyond the group stage.
Tunisia squad
Goalkeepers: Aymen Dahmen (Club Sportif Sfaxien), Mouez Hassan (Club Africain), Bechir Ben Said (US Monastir), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile du Sahel).
Defenders: Ali Abdi (Caen), Mohamed Drager (Luzern), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly), Wajdi Kechrida (Atromitos), Nader Ghandri (Club Africain), Yassine Meriah (Esperance), Bilel Ifa (Kuwait FC), Dylan Bronn (Salernitana), Montassar Talbi (Lorient).
Midfielders: Ellyes Skhiri (Koln), Ghaylen Chaalali (Esperance), Aissa Laidouni (Ferencvaros), Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Esperance), Ferjani Sassi (Al-Duhail), Hannibal Mejbri (Birmingham City).
Forwards: Youssef Msakni (Al Arabi SC), Seifeddine Jaziri (Zamalek), Naim Sliti (Ettifaq), Issam Jebali (Odense), Taha Yassine Khenissi (Kuwait SC), Anis Ben Slimane (Brondby), Wahbi Khazri (Montpellier).
Team insights
Probable formation: 4-3-3 Tunisia will base their game on a defensive organisation that has proved effective in qualifying and in preparation games. Often starved of possession, Jalel Kadri's team is forced to do much of its best work without the ball, and all three group opponents will find themselves starved of creative space in the final third. Team captain Youssef Msakni remains their stand-out player and he will be keen to impress after missing out in Russia four years ago. He'll be joined by the likes of Seifeddine Jaziri, Naim Sliti and Taha Yassine Khenissi as Tunisia's forward options, while Hannibal Mejbri will be keen to get the chance to show why he is on Manchester United's books.
World Cup prospects
Not many will be giving Tunisia much of a chance of emerging from Group D, but if they can catch Denmark cold in their opener, then their second game against Australia could prove decisive in determining which of those two teams carries hopes of qualification into the final games. Best hope: Last 16, if France or Denmark slip up
Read more about each of Tunisia's Group D opponents: