After falling short in a 1-0 loss to Australia on Saturday, which saw the Socceroos surpass their fellow Group D rivals in the standings, Tunisia are on the verge of an early exit from the 2022 edition while still waiting for their first goal of the competition.
Australia only needed Mitchell Duke’s deft header with 23 minutes remaining to secure their place in the top two, leaving Tunisia, who battled valiantly in a goalless draw with Denmark on matchday one, in fourth place with one match remaining.
Even if Jalel Kadri’s side can stun the world champions and secure all three points on Wednesday, Australia will progress to the last 16 with a win over Denmark, but anything less than victory for the Socceroos will open the door for Tunisia to pounce.
In keeping with the theme of defensive tenacity leading up to the World Cup, Tunisia has only allowed one goal in 180 minutes of play, but they are one of just two teams still without a goal at the right end after two games, the other being Mexico. Tunisia has posted seven clean sheets from eight games before Qatar.
The fact that the Eagles of Carthage have never had a team go the entire World Cup without scoring should give them some hope, and with qualification already secured, France may decide to ease off a bit.
The fact that the current champions were the first team to confirm their spot in the round of 16 for the 2022 World Cup was only fitting, as France has continued to triumph despite numerous injury issues and performance struggles leading up to the tournament.
In the match against Denmark on Saturday at Stadium 974, Kylian Mbappe scored twice on either side of Andreas Christensen’s header to give France the victory necessary to secure a top-two finish.
Didier Deschamps’ team only needs a point to advance as group winners and possibly get a better last-16 matchup, but even if they lose shockingly, Australia still needs a seven-goal swing in their favour to overtake the champions for first place.
The last four clashes between the two nations have seen Les Bleus alternate between a win and a draw – a good omen before this largely inconsequential tie for Deschamps’s men.
1X2 Betting Odds
Not that it will surprise anyone, but France are the heavy favourites to win this one. Their odds stand @ 1.46.
Tunisia will need a miracle to defeat this France side even if they rest a few key players, but if they can pull it off, it will be one special day for the country. Their odds stand @ 8.6.
The chances of a stalemate, which is not an ideal result for Tunisia stand @ 4.75.
Tunisia might fancy their chances against a second-string France side, but their goalscoring woes are showing no signs of letting up any time soon, and France’s reservists are still a force to be reckoned with!
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals score will be over 2.5, stands @ 1.9.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 2.06.
So the market believe this game has fewer goals, but enough for France to beat Tunisia!
