Tunisia take aim at Danes

Denmark go into their opening World Cup game against Tunisia side on Tuesday in the unusual position of being among Europe's dark horses, in with an outside chance of winning the tournament if they can get everything right in Qatar.

The key group game will be against France, but first they will need to ensure that there are no slip-ups in their opener against the Tunisians.

To ensure the best possible start, the Danes will turn to playmaker Christian Eriksen, who suffered a heart attack at Euro 2020 but who has since made a full recovery. "After he came back, it's been unbelievable. The second he stepped into the pitch for the first time in Amsterdam, playing against Holland, he just took control of the match and scored, and since then, he's just been better and better," coach Kasper Hjulmand told Reuters in a recent interview.

However, although Tunisia's last five World Cup finals appearances have all ended in first-round exits, there is a real belief they can end that run in Qatar.

Coach Jalel Kadri hoped is side could get off to a positive start against the Danes and build momentum in a difficult pool that also contains France and Australia.

"Denmark is among the best squads in Europe. We know they have high quality in every department," he said on Monday.

"But we will give our all. We have our strengths, but we also know our weaknesses. We are aware we will be compared to past Tunisia squads."

"In terms of performance, we feel good, we are calm and happy with the results we have achieved. We are representing all Arab nations and we deserve to be here," he said.