Khazri shoulders Tunisia's World Cup hopes

Tunisia will pin their hopes on Montpellier's Wahbi Khazri to steer them through the World Cup group stage, given that he is their standout player in a squad that mainly comprises players based in Egypt, the Arab Gulf and at lowly clubs in Europe.

The French-born forward, who also plays as an attacking midfielder, is second in Tunisia's list of all-time leading scorers, having scored 24 goals in 71 internationals since making his debut in 2013.

Khazri, 31, is the most prominent Tunisian player in Europe, although he played most of his career at unfancied clubs in France.

"Wahbi Khazri has been a big asset since he joined the national team. He has always been active in terms of goals and assists," former Tunisia coach Mondher Kebaier said last year after Khazri moved up to second in the all-time scorers list.

Khazri began his career with Bastia, where he played more than 150 games in five seasons before moving to Bordeaux in 2014.

He played one and a half seasons at English side Sunderland, with whom he scored his first Premier League goal -- which came against Manchester United in 2016 -- before returning to France a year later after sealing a loan move to Stade Rennes.

He left his mark in France during a four-year spell with St Etienne before joining Montpellier last June.

Khazri played for France's under-21 side but switched allegiance in 2012 after receiving a call-up from then Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi.

He was part of the Carthage Eagles' squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and went on to feature in four more editions of the biennial tournament. He also played at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, scoring two goals against Belgium and Panama.

FACING FRANCE

Having returned to action in September after missing June's internationals due to injury, Khazri believes that Tunisia can spring a surprise and reach the second round for the first time despite being drawn in Group D alongside holders France, Denmark and Australia.

"I think we can go beyond the group stage. We know that France is in the group and will play to win. Denmark and Australia are two good teams as well," Khazri said in a recent interview with Sky News Arabia.

"It would be great if we went through. Tunisia have never reached the second round, but I think we have a good team that can qualify from the group.

"This is what I wished for in the draw. I was born in France and I understand the importance of this match for the two countries. It will be a great challenge and an amazing experience if we can prove that we can face the best players in France for 90 minutes," he added.

Reliance on familiar venues, fans in bid to reach second round

Tunisia will rely on familiar stadiums and their passionate fans in Qatar to achieve what has eluded them in more than 40 years as they seek to reach the World Cup second round for the first time.

Qatar hosted the Arab Cup in December last year at the World Cup stadiums to serve as a test event for the finals, with Tunisia reaching the final before losing to Algeria.

During their run to the final, Tunisia benefited from their large fan base in Qatar, which is expected to give them a home-like atmosphere when they face defending champions France, Denmark and Australia in Group D in their sixth World Cup appearance.

"There are nearly 35,000 Tunisians living in Qatar who will follow the national team matches, in addition to about 6,000 who will come from Europe, the United States and Canada," Aymen Sassi, Tunisia's fan leader in Qatar, told Reuters.

"Tunisians living in neighbouring countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will also attend."

A runners-up spot at the Arab Cup did not spare Tunisia coach Mondher Kebaier the axe as he lost his job in January after the Carthage Eagles were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations in the quarter-finals.

His assistant, Jalel Kadri, took charge and led Tunisia to a place at the World Cup following a win over Mali in the African qualifiers playoffs.

Under Kadri, Tunisia achieved a series of good results before losing 5-1 against Brazil in a friendly in September.

"We know that the task ahead is difficult, but I have confidence in our group. We are aiming high; there is no room for pessimism," Kadri said after the World Cup draw in April.

"This is our sixth appearance in the World Cup and the team is starting to gain experience and 30-40% of the current squad played in the previous tournament (Russia 2018), and I am confident that we will perform excellently and achieve our goals.

"There are teams that are better than us only on paper and we must prepare well," he added.

Tunisia begin their campaign against Denmark and face Australia in their second game before concluding their group-stage campaign against France.

On paper, Tunisia's realistic chance of grabbing only their third World Cup victory could come against Australia. They will also hope to spring some surprises against Denmark or France if they are to go through.

"France is the world champion and does not need to be evaluated. Denmark is an excellent team and they are considered the best in the second (seeded teams in the draw)," Kadri said.

Following are some facts about Tunisia as they head into the 2022 World Cup:

FIFA Ranking: 26

Odds: 300-1

Previous tournaments:

Tunisia have appeared in 5 World Cups. Although they never reached the second round, they recorded the first ever African victory in the World Cup in 1978, when they beat Mexico 3-1 in their first group match in Argentina before holding defending champions West Germany to a goalless draw.

Tunisia waited 40 years to win just their second World Cup game, when they defeated Panama four years ago in Russia.

How they qualified:

Tunisia cruised through the African qualifiers, winning four and drawing two in a group that also included Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Mauritania. In the playoffs, Tunisia defeated Mali 1-0 on aggregate to reach their sixth World Cup.

Form guide:

After securing qualification comfortably in March, Tunisia started their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in June with a home win over Equatorial Guinea and a draw against Botswana away from home.

They played another two games in June, defeating Chile 2-0 and Japan 3-0 in the Kirin Cup in Japan. They won again in the September friendly matches, defeating Comoros 1-0 before losing 5-1 to Brazil in France.