Denmark and Australia go at it on Thursday June 21 at 8am Eastern time in Samara, Russia for the 22nd game of the 2018 World Cup group stage. With a win already in their record, another victory in this match would guarantee an advance to the knockout round of the tournament, something they have not done since 2002. According to our World Cup betting odds, Denmark is the favorite to win this match, as Australia is one of the weaker teams in the World Cup field. However, Australia did surprise in their match against France, who they lost to only thanks to a late own goal. The Danes, meanwhile had a tough time with Peru, but were able to escape with a win. They have a talent-laden squad as well, with strong players in every position, especially Tottenham's Christian Eriksen, who is their attacking midfielder.
Denmark
Denmark has several players on prominent European Clubs playing in key positions; Captain Simon Kjaer is an experienced center back playing in Sevilla, while Goaltender Kasper Schmeichel is the goaltender for Leicester in the Premier League. In their first game against Peru, they were held off the board by an aggressive Peruvian team for most of the game until Eriksen found Yussuf Poulsen in the 60th minute for the game's only goal. Denmark will need to get its offence ticking in this game vs Australia if they have any hopes at beating France for the number one spot in the group.
Australia
Considered a major underdog in their first game against France, Australia surprised the world by holding the French to very few shots after an initial barrage in the games first minutes. That game saw France control the ball and complete much more passes than the Australians, but at no point was it completely clear that France was the better team. If the Australians can continue the defensive stinginess against a less offensively talented Danish team, they may have a chance at winning. After having played France, their toughest game is now behind them, and they have nothing to lose. Nobody expected the Australians to come even this far, so without any pressure to perform, the Socceroos are free to play their style of soccer.
Match Overview
As strong as the Danes are in this matchup, they should not overlook Australia completely. The Socceroos are a hard-working side that has been through a lot in qualifying and impressed in their first game of the World Cup. Plus, they will be rallying around their star Tim Cahill in his last World Cup bid. Australia is also going to be difficult to prepare against, as Marwijk is still settling into his role as head coach and had not established a playing style until their very successful outing against a much better French team. That aside, there is little doubt that Denmark is the better, deeper team in this contest and this game is theirs to win.
