Russia 2018: Group C preview

fifa-announces-award-of-media-rights-in-russia-and-italy-for-2018-fifa-world-cup-l7RWDR

Denmark v Australia (14.00)
The consensus going into this vital Group C contest is that Denmark are the favourites, but not overwhelmingly so. Everything points to a highly competitive match-up between nations with respectable Fifa World Cup™ traditions, desperate to write new and successful chapters in their world finals history books.

The onus is on Australia as they need to put points on the table after being edged by France 2-1 in their opening match, while Denmark will be motivated by the knowledge that three points could mean a spot in the knockout stage. The Danes also have the  possibility of winning successive matches for just the second time in their World Cup history.

There are a couple of moments in history that will make for pleasant reading for Socceroos fans. Australia coach Bert van Marwijk and Denmark coach Age Hareide met in 2008, when the former was in charge of the Netherlands and Hareide leading his homeland Norway; the Dutch won 1-0. Van Marwijk’s Netherlands also beat Denmark 2-0 en route to the Final of the 2010 World Cup.

France v Peru (17.00)
France and Peru head into an encounter that is set to be a decisive one, not just for their own fortunes, but for the overall outcome of Group C. France can potentially book passage to the knockout stage with a win, while Peru likely need at least a point to avoid suffering an painful early exit on their Fifa World Cup ™ return.

France opened with a 2-1 win over Australia, though it was an indifferent performance from Les Bleus who needed an unlikely own goal to edge past the Socceroos.

But France have a galaxy of high-level attacking stars in their arsenal, so the odds are against a second successive flat performance in the attacking third.

Peru, for their part, will feel they deserve a slice of luck after their unfortunate 1-0 loss to Denmark on Saturday in their first World Cup match for 36 years.

Opening nerves may have now settled, but the pressure remains on the South Americans who have little margin for error against a high-profile opponent. — Fifa.com

You Might Also Like

Comments