World Cup Group D predictions: Danes pick of the bunch

James Mason

Spotlight

Kasper Hjulmand's Denmark have had the measure of France

- Denmark defeated France home and away in Group A1 of the 2022-23 Nations League
- Tunisia have won just two of their 15 World Cup matches
- Recommended Bet: Denmark to win Group D

Group D at World Cup 2022 looks to be a two-way tussle between France and Denmark for top spot, while Australia and Tunisia are both expected to head home early from Qatar.

Denmark: Danish Dynamite make strong appeal for top spot at 9/4

Denmark have become a well-oiled machine over the past couple of years and they look ready to mount a serious challenge for a first World Cup triumph, which is available at 25/1 with LiveScore Bet.

Kasper Hjulmand's side reached the semi-finals of the European Championships, only to be bested by England in extra-time, but they did not let that setback haunt them and they finished top of Group F in qualifying for the showpiece event in Qatar.

The Danes won nine of their 10 matches, scoring 30 goals and conceding just three in the process, while they only missed out on a place in next year's Nations League Finals by one point.

Denmark ended up second in Group A1 behind Croatia, but they noticeably beat France both home and away during that competition and there will be no fear ahead of their meeting with Les Bleus in Qatar.

France: 4/9 for first looks short for defending champions

Midfield injuries have left France boss Didier Deschamps with a real dilemma

France may be the reigning champions heading into the World Cup, but they have had injury issues ahead of the tournament and the 4/9 on them to top Group D with LiveScore Bet looks too short.

Les Bleus will be without the services of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante due to injury and their absence has left two very big holes to fill in midfield, an area Didier Deschamps is not overly blessed with options.

Adrien Rabiot is the most experienced in terms of caps earned of the six midfield options and he has been playing for a struggling Juventus side this season. Meanwhile, Real Madrid pair Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are exciting players but they are yet to really prove themselves at international level.

There are certainly enough attacking options that will help France get through to the knockout stages, but they may have to settle for second in the group and therefore go deep in the tournament the harder way.

The latest World Cup 2022 odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Australia (4/1 to qualify): Lack of firepower will hurt Socceroos

Australia have done a great job in reaching their sixth World Cup, as they overcame a tough Peru side on penalties in the AFC-CONMEBOL play-off to book their spot in Qatar.

The Socceroos have some decent options to choose from in midfield, the two notable names being Ajdin Hrustic and Aaron Mooy, but they do struggle to keep out better opposition and have kept just one clean sheet from 16 World Cup matches.

Attack can often be an area of concern for the men from Down Under and it is noticeable that Mathew Leckie is the top scorer in the 26-man squad with 13 goals and the only player to be in double figures.

Tunisia (3/1 to qualify): Early exit on the agenda for Eagles of Carthage

It seems like Australia and Tunisia will be battling it out not to finish bottom and there is every chance the latter could be picking up the wooden spoon, given the fact they only just scraped past Mali to reach the finals.

The Eagles of Carthage do offer a little more up top than the Aussies, in the shape of Wahbi Khazri and captain Youssef Msakni, but they lack strength in depth in every other area and this could really hurt them.

Verdict

A confident Denmark will be dreaming of going far in Qatar and the fact they have had the measure over France in recent meetings should help them take top spot in Group D.

Tunisia and Australia are unlikely to pose any real problems to the leading pair, but the Socceroos can at least grab some pride by not finishing bottom of the pile.