With Round of 16 spots still up for grabs, this Saturday will prove to be a must win fixture for both the Aussies and Tunisia.
After a bright start to their opening game over reigning champions France the Aussies ultimately suffered a 4-1 defeat and will be heading into the clash looking to redeem themselves.
While the Socceroos broke the deadlock inside the opening 10 minutes through Craig Goodwin, they’d eventually be run over heading into half time 2-1 down and conceding another two in the second half with Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud putting in a masterful performances.
Meanwhile Tunisia will head into this clash full of confidence having put in an encouraging showing in their draw over Denmark.
Though unable to find the net, the side showed their quality against a formidable opponent, with the result an encouraging one for the Tunisians.
Match Preview
The Aussies come into this clash off the aforementioned 4-1 drubbing to France and while they started encouraging enough, Graham Arnold’s men were on the back foot for the most part of the game.
Having looked adventurous and wanting take risks early in the game, their willingness to attack paid dividends when they scored the opening goal of the game, and stunned the French for the first 20 minutes of the fixture.
What ultimately caused the undoing of the Aussies was the side opting to sit on their lead and sit back. While the intention was to ‘play it safe’ it proved to do more harm than good, and while they were able to keep the French at bay for a short while, the constant barrage of attacks caused their undoing.
The French put 23 shots past the Socceroos defence, and finishing with a possession ration of 38-62 per cent, and several goals came off the back of defensive errors.
In a fixture that they’ll need all three-points, the Socceroos cannot afford to ‘play it safe’ once again, they’ll need to throw caution to the wind and take risks.
Tunisia meanwhile will be looking to repeat their efforts from their opener against Denmark, this time hoping to get more out of the game than just a draw.
Unlike the Aussies, the Tunisians showed they weren’t a side that wanted to sit back and and pounce on the counter with Jalel Kadri’s men looking effective against a top opposition when pressing.
Having looked a dangerous threat at times against the Danes, the Tunisians will be out to putting in an attacking masterclass.
Ones to watch
Tunisian winger Ali Abdi will be one the Aussies need to be weary of, having been a tricky wide man against the Danes. The 28-year-old worked hard to push forward and create attacking plays while also working hard defensively, finishing the game with seven clearances and five recoveries.
Central midfielder Aissa Laidouni will be one to keep an eye on, having been the workhorse of the Tunisian midfield. The 25-year-old is a dynamic two-way midfielder who works hard to link up play while in possession while also being sound defensively, with three clearances, eight ball recoveries against Denmark. Coming in good form, he’ll be hoping to repeat his efforts.
While the A-League often comes under fire for its quality, it’s ironic the Aussies two best performers and ones to watch for this game ply their trade in their home nation’s top flight in Mathew Leckie and Craig Goodwin.
Leckie looked one of the most threatening going forward against France playing a large part in the side’s opening goal, registering the assist having pounced on a defensive error.
On the other wing is Goodwin who scored the Socceroos only goal of the campaign thus far, and like Leckie is a tricky winger who the Tunisians will need to shut down.
