After the emotional journey the nation undertook at the European Championships last year due to the near-fatal collapse of icon Christian Eriksen, Denmark have emerged 16 months later as a stronger, more determined collective ahead of their opening fixture of the 2022 World Cup.
Having progressed comfortably in qualification, as well as going to the tournament with impressive Nations League form, Kasper Hjulmand's Danes face a Tunisia side under new management in Jaled Khadri at the Education City Stadium.
Tunisia are ranked 20 places below Denmark heading into Tuesday's match, full of confidence in their individual and collective superiority to start their World Cup campaign with a victory.
With Denmark being many pundits' dark horse before the tournament, Sports Mole look at some of the reasons why they should be strongly favoured to succeed on day three against Tunisia.
The Danes' Determination
When Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in Denmark's Euros clash against Finland last year, an entire nation suffered the trauma of watching a true legend of their country being taken away in the prime of his career. Fans, pundits and players worldwide wept and prayed together for Eriksen, and were immeasurably moved by the heroism of the players that suffered on the pitch that day.
Denmark would have been forgiven if their tournament campaign had been written off after the Finland match; some things are more important than men kicking a ball around a plain of grass for 90 minutes. Instead, what we saw after the loss of Eriksen was a team more united and inspired to give their entirety to the game - for Eriksen, yes, but for themselves, their nation, for the sum of their careers up to that date.
The progress the Danes made last year has helped prove to themselves and the world that they have true stars on their side, a collective mentality forged in steel that will not be easily broken by any team they may face in Qatar.
Tunisia have never triumphed in the group stages, let alone against a side so determined as the Danes, and there may simply be too much of a sheer disparity in belief and united endeavour for them to stand a chance on Tuesday.
A creative midfield machine
Having Eriksen back not just for this tournament, but with some excellent Premier League form in 2022 under his belt, will no doubt prove a vital edge for Denmark. Eriksen has proved time and time again in his career that he is one of the best passers and visionaries in world football; his recent spell for Brentford demonstrated that he is head and shoulders above so many in his set-piece ability, his contribution to ball progression, and his vision to find spaces to best exploit his passing acumen.
That said, Eriksen has the benefit of being part of a machine of creativity for Denmark. Brentford attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard emerged as a talisman for the Danes in Eriksen's absence as a dynamic dribbling force and for his incision in the final third. Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg may be a divisive figure at times for his club, but he has proven for Denmark and for Antonio Conte to be not just a strong leadership figure but a productive progressive passer, a true facilitator in midfield for his team.
Other figures like the versatile Daniel Wass, the pacey Andreas Skov Olsen, and the impressive Jesper Lindstrom present a creative force to be reckoned with for any side at this competition. It will be vital against sides like Tunisia who will set up in low blocks, squeezing out space in the final third, demanding quality and ingenuity in the midfield.
Width in attack
Viewers of many World Cups past will be more than familiar with sides that defend deep and work to grind out results representative of more than the sum of their parts. Caginess is really the default in tournament football, and we can expect a high degree of organisation that can prove difficult for even the mightiest of attacking units.
Tactically speaking, the key for sides looking to break down the low block is creating horizontal width, stretching defences by overloading flanks, switching the play, and exploring space through free movement. Through creating such width, pace will emerge between the lines of defence, and high-quality chances will be created more regularly.
In wide players Joachim Maehle, Skov Olsen and Wass, Denmark have real quality and intelligence on the flanks. Whilst many sides rely on pacey full backs that dribble and cross from the by-line, Denmark's wide players are versatile players with strong creative and attacking acumen.
Maehle, currently playing his club football for Atalanta, has built up an impressive reputation as one of Denmark's star players. Nominally a defender, Maehle has scored nine goals in just 31 caps, and it is very likely he will bring that attacking edge to Qatar this month. body check tags ::
