Australia, Tunisia seek to improve performance
Australia will be bidding to bounce back from their heavy defeat to France when they continue their World Cup Group D campaign against Tunisia on Saturday.
The Socceroos suffered a 4-1 loss to France in their opening match of the competition on Tuesday, while Tunisia played out a goalless draw with Denmark in their first game of the 2022 tournament.
Tunisia are competing in the finals of the World Cup for the sixth time in their history, and they are looking to reach the knockout round of the competition for the first time.
The African nation failed to win a group game during the 1998, 2002 and 2006 competitions but managed to put a victory on the board last time out in Russia, and they have made a positive start to this tournament, holding a talented Denmark outfit to a goalless draw in their section opener.
Tunisia’s last and indeed toughest game in the group will be against France next Wednesday, so their chances of qualifying for the knockout round could largely hinge on their result against Australia.
Jalel Kadri’s side beat Mali in the third qualifying round to advance to the finals of the World Cup, and they have actually not lost a competitive match since January.
Tunisia’s performance against Denmark will certainly have given them plenty of encouragement ahead of this match, which will see them face Australia for just the third time, with their only competitive meeting coming in the Confederations Cup back in June 2005, which saw Tunisia record a 2-0 win.
Australia, as mentioned, will enter this match off the back of a 4-1 defeat to world champions France on Tuesday, which has already left them in a difficult position in Group D.
READ ALSO Man United fans thrilled over rumored Apple interest
The Socceroos took the lead against Didier Deschamps’s side in the ninth minute through Craig Goodwin, but France went on to score four times without reply through Adrien Rabiot, Olivier Giroud (two) and Kylian Mbappe, with the result leaving Australia at the bottom of the group.
Graham Arnold’s side beat United Arab Emirates and then Peru on penalties to secure their spot at the 2022 World Cup, and they then overcame New Zealand in two friendlies at the end of September.
Australia have now been present in each of the last five World Cups, being eliminated in the group stage in their last three participations, winning just once in the process.