World Cup Preview - Denmark v Australia
Thursday 21/06/2018 - 10pm AEDT
Odds: Denmark $1.80, Australia $4.50
Australia’s World Cup campaign continues with a must-win clash against Denmark on Thursday night. The match will be played on SBS at 10 pm.
Australia fought hard in their first match against France, just going down 2-1 in the end. The Aussies looked a bit nervous in the early stages with France attacking our goal but we warmed into the match. Deploying a 1-4-5, Australia opted for a more defensive game-plan as a draw would have been a great result against the much-fancied French. After a 0-0 scoreline at half-time, France opened the scoring in the second half with a VAR penalty. But just moments later, Australia was awarded a penalty of their own to level the scores. In the dying stages, France would secure the 3 points with an own goal that just crossed the line after hitting the crossbar. So after taking 0 points in Kazan, Australia will need to win this clash for their hopes of qualifying.
Denmark started their campaign with the perfect result. They beat Peru 1-0 and gained a key 3 points as they look to qualify for the first time since 2002. Peru missed a penalty before half-time and Denmark made them pay in the second half with the only goal coming in the 59th minute. Their defence just held strong in the end for a crucial victory. But the win may have come at a cost as midfielder William Kvist suffered a fractured rib and had to be stretched off in the 36th minute.
Head to Head
The two sides have met just 3 times in their history and Denmark leads 2-1.
2012 - Denmark 2-0
2010 - Australia 1-0
2007 - Denmark 3-1
Players to Watch
Trent Sainsbury (Australia) was superb in defence for Australia against France as he curtailed many of the French’s attacking moves. So he’ll be crucial for the Socceroos in this game as they look to keep Denmark quiet in front of goal.
Andrew Nabbout (Australia) didn’t get many opportunities in the first match as Australia were playing more defensive football. In this clash, they need to win and get on the front foot early. So Nabbout should get more attacking ball in this game.
Christian Eriksen (Denmark) has been a key player for Tottenham in the EPL and he’ll look to lead Denmark into the next stage. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year last season which shows how good his form is at the moment.
Denmark striker Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark) has found the net in back to back games for Denmark, which have both been wins. So he’s very important for this side and will be the number 1 target to stop for the Australian defence.
Prediction
Australia must employ a more attacking game-plan if they want to upset Denmark. They were very defensive against France and that was for good reason as they’re attack was much stronger. But they will need to give the likes of striker Nabbout more ball as he was barely sighted in the first match.
For Denmark, they will be full of confidence after knocking off Peru and they should qualify with a win over Australia. The key will be in defence once again. They haven’t conceded a goal in their last 5 matches and also beat Mexico 2-0 before the World Cup. So this will be another tough task for the Socceroos.
In the end, I don’t think Australia has the attack to trouble the Denmark defence. So I don’t mind the odds for Denmark to win. But the best bet should be the under total goals. Denmark kept Peru to a clean sheet and as mentioned, they haven’t conceded in 5 straight matches. Australia also showed a strong defence against France as they conceded 2 tough goals that could of easily gone astray on another day. The under is also 2-0 in the last 2 meetings between the two countries.
Under 2.5 Total Goals $1.60
Don't forget we're offering MONEY BACK on 3+ leg Multis if your bet fails by just 1 leg - up to $50 as REAL CASH. Full T&Cs apply. Not available to NSW & SA residents.
