World Cup preview: Tunisia

The World Cup is underway and it's time to look at each team from Group D – do they stand a chance this year?

In collaboration with our good friends The Graphic Bomb, Playmaker have produced a World Cup guide packed with info on each of the nations taking part this winter and it's a pleasure to be able to share the stats, expert opinion and player analysis that we've stockpiled in the process.

The Eagles of Carthage will have a tough time in a group with Denmark and France, but can they pull off an upset?

The fantastically named ‘Eagles of Carthage’ had one of the easier flight paths to Qatar, as Jalel Kadri’s side topped a group that consisted of Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Mauritania before beating Mali 1-0 on aggregate in their World Cup play-off.

They have valuable experience in their ranks, with a host of players who helped Tunisia finish third in England’s World Cup group in 2018, as well as some new blood looking to make an impact. The North Africans have never made the last 16 in six World Cup appearances, though, and history has a habit of repeating itself!

�Getty / DANIEL BELOUMOU OLOMO

Sidelined by a knee injury on the eve of the last World Cup, captain Youssef Msakni will be eager to make his mark in Qatar. With 87 caps, he is an experienced operator capable of influencing games at this level.

Accused by some of sacrificing his football ambitions for the sake of a fat pay packet, Msakni may be a talent on the wane - but he will certainly feel at home during the tournament given that he plays his club football for Qatari side Al-Arabi.

The versatile attacker showed glimpses of his ability as Tunisia reached the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations in January, and he has a reputation as

�Getty / Shaun Botterill

Man Utd midfielder Hannibal Mejbri came to the attention of most English football fans last season when he made a brief cameo kicking Liverpool players around Anfield at the end of a demoralising 4-0 defeat for the Red Devils.

Occasionally over-zealous, but brimming with energy and personality, Mejbri is currently impressing on loan in the Championship with Birmingham and his defensive tenacity and technical ability mark him out as a burgeoning talent.

The 19-year-old already has nearly 20 caps and he will to impress those back at Old Trafford by making an impact in Qatar.

Opinion

Drawn against France and Denmark, two of the ‘Top 10’ ranked sides in the world, Tunisia are clear underdogs in Group D along with Australia.

A 5-1 defeat to Brazil in a recent friendly showed that Tunisia will struggle to contain top class opposition and it will be interesting to see if manager Kadri favours a more attacking 4-3-3 or a safety-first 4-4-2.

The likes of 24-year-old Lorient defender Montassar Taibi, FC Koln midfielder Ellyes Skhiri and Ferencvaros’ Aissi Laidouni will be key men and if Tunisia can play to their, primarily defensive, strengths they could spring an upset.

Getting points on the board against Denmark and Australia will be crucial ahead of Tunisia’s final group game against France, who they have traditionally performed well against.

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