QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022: Denmark vs France
After thrashing Australia, France will play their second group-stage game against Denmark. Both teams have faced each other three times in competitive games before. They met in the 2018 World Cup, which ended in a goalless draw 0-0. Then both teams came against each other two times this year in UEFA Nations League, and surprisingly, the Danish team won both home & away legs.
Talking about France first, their start to the World Cup wasn’t good, and it seemed another “defending champions curse” was one
the cards when they conceded the goal in the 9th minute, but then their attacking guns started doing damage and, in the end, had scored four times. Still, now, as mentioned above, they’re going to play against Denmark. This opponent has beaten them twice this year in the home & away legs of the UEFA Nations League and left them on the edge of relegation from League A, which they managed to avoid. Defending champions will be looking for revenge today as they’re now in great shape after beating Australia by a heavy margin. Moreover, a win over Denmark today will make them one of the two teams to qualify for the next round from Group D.
It is worth mentioning that after scoring a brace against Australia, Oliver Giroud needs only one goal to become the all-time leading scorer for his nation. He will indeed be looking to achieve this feat today.
Kingsley Coman missed yesterday’s training session due to a hip issue and is expected to see the match from the bench. Lucas Hernandez suffered a knee injury confirmed to be an ACL tear, which has ruled him out of the tournament. It is worth mentioning that after refusing to select a replacement for Karim Benzema, Deschamps has 24 players available.
QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022: France Starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Lloris, Pavard, Upamecano, Konate, T Hernandez, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe, Giroud.
QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022 – France Bench:
Mandanda, Areola, Disasi, Kounde, Saliba, Varane, Guendouzi, Veretout, Camavinga, Y Fofana, Kolo Muani, Coman, Thuram.
On the other hand, Denmark is coming to this game after drawing against Tunisia in their opening game of the World Cup. Now they’ll be facing defending champions France, a team they have beaten twice in the UEFA Nations League this year and will try to make history after beating them for the third consecutive time, but as things stand, their opponent is in much better shape after their win over Australia, so it’s going to be tough for them. This game is very crucial for Denmark, as if they lose this fixture, their chances of qualifying for the knock-out stage will become dim.
Their Instrumental midfielder Thomas Delaney came off due to a knee problem just before the end of half-time and has been ruled out of the tournament. He will now start working on his month-long recovery.
QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022 – Denmark Starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Schmeichel, Kristensen, A Christensen, Andersen, Maehle, Hojbjerg, Jensen; Skov Olsen, Eriksen, Damsgaard, Dolberg.
QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022 –Denmark Bench:
Christensen, Ronnow, Nelsson, Bah, Larsen, Norgaard, Wass, Lindstrom, Skov, Braithwaite Cornelius, Wind, Poulsen, Delaney, Kjaer.
QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022: Match Facts
* Location: Doha, Qatar
* Venue: Stadium 974
* Date: 26 November, Saturday
* Kick-off Time: 16:00 GMT / 11:00 ET / 08:00 PT
QATAR GROUP STAGE FIFA 2022: Conclusion
Even after suffering considerable setbacks in the form of injuries, France still has a pretty strong squad and will be ready to take on Denmark, who, on the other hand, will be hoping for their third win over them in 2022.
