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Tunisia lost 5-1 to Brazil in September but captain Wahbi Khazri (right) is optimistic about their chances in Qatar.
Captain Wahbi Khazri believes Tunisia have what it takes to succeed for the sixth time at the World Cup in Qatar.
The North Africans have been knocked out of groups in their last five appearances and have won just two in 15 appearances, the first against Mexico in 1978 and the second against Panama in 2018.
Once again aiming to reach the round of 16 for the first time, Khazri is eager to get off to a good start against Denmark and Australia as their final Group D game is against holders France. title.
“I believe we can get through this. We have a well-oiled team that has been together for a long time,” Khazri told BBC Sport Africa.
“France are superior to us and are fighting for the title, Denmark are a good team and Australia too. I think we have a chance to play in the next round and we will have to be efficient in the first two games.
“Ahead of the last World Cup in Russia, we had strong performances against Spain and Portugal and then we beat Croatia a year after they finished runners-up.
“We are capable of performing against great teams. It will be a dream come true to reach the second round.”
Tunisia grabbed headlines by winning the Kirin Cup in June, knocking out hosts Chile and Japan before beating Comoros 1-0 and losing 5-1 to Brazil in warm-up matches at the World Cup in September.
Khazri says the clash against five-time World Cup winners Brazil was beneficial, despite the heavy defeat.
“It was important to compete against the big teams because at the World Cup you will only meet the best,” said the attacking midfielder from Montpellier.
“It allowed us to know what we are missing, and to learn important lessons about what we can improve.”
Luck on the way to Qatar
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Khazri missed Tunisia’s two play-offs against Mali at the World Cup in late March.
Tunisia avoided Africa’s heavyweights in the March play-offs, but the 2004 continental champions made short work of Mali to clinch a second straight World Cup appearance.
Coach Jalel Kadri’s 1-0 victory came courtesy of an own goal from defender Moussa Sissako in the first leg in Mali, who was sent off soon after.
Given their tough group in Qatar, Tunisia will likely need more than luck to reach the knockout stages.
Reigning champions France can boast a fearsome attack, including Kylian Mbappé and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, while Denmark thrashed England in the semi-finals of the European Championship last year.
“Denmark have a great squad with talented players, and Christian Eriksen is in great form. They held off France in the Nations League,” Khazri said.
On paper, Tunisia’s realistic chance of securing their third World Cup victory could come from Australia, who sit eight places below them in the world rankings in 38th place.
“It’s hard to talk about Australia because I haven’t watched many of their matches,” admitted Khazri.
“But there are no easy matches in this kind of competition, be it France, Australia or Denmark. We are going to have the same approach for these three matches.”
An emotional match against the Blues
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Khazri joined Montpellier in June after spells in France at Bastia, Bordeaux, Rennes and Saint-Etienne.
A French youth international before opting for his father’s country, the Corsican Khazri has spent his entire career in France, with the exception of a two-year stint at Sunderland (2016-18).
With Tunisia being a French colony from the 1880s until independence in 1956, the 31-year-old is relishing the November 30 clash at Education City Stadium.
“Being born in France and playing for Tunisia is special – the two countries are very close and it will be an exciting time,” he said.
“Playing in the French league as well, we know a lot of people are going to be watching and we’re going to play against some of the best in the world, like Benzema, Mbappé and [Antoine] Griezmann.
“We will have to play this match thoroughly and come out of it without regrets. It will require a lot of emotions and it is possible that our qualification will be decided on this match.
“There will be no split loyalties at home because everyone will be 100% Tunisian on my side. I hope it goes well for us.”
Memories of 2018
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Khazri helped Tunisia to their second World Cup finals victory in 2018, and entered the country’s history books.
Tunisia and Khazri return to the World Cup finals after what he calls a “dream come true” playing at the 2018 edition in Russia.
However, the side could not translate their good feelings into early results, with an agonizing 2-1 late loss to England and a 5-2 thrashing against Belgium preceding the historic 2-1 win over Panama.
“We faced teams that were clearly above us,” Khazri said.
“We have some regrets about the game against England, when Harry Kane scored at the last minute, because against teams like that, the smallest mistake will be punished.”
“We have to exploit Russia’s experience because we still have some of the players from the current squad. We won’t repeat the same mistake of leaving a player like Kane unmarked.”
Khazri has amassed 71 caps with Tunisia, appearing in five Africa Cups of Nations, and scored 24 international goals.
After scoring against Belgium and Panama four years ago, Khazri also became his country’s top scorer at the World Cup.
“I didn’t expect to score at the World Cup. I was already happy to be in Russia because I got injured before the tournament and I had doubts about my fitness,” he said. noted.
“I managed to play 100%, I scored two goals and provided two assists. I was effective against the best in the world, so I was happy to have achieved my dream by playing and also by scoring there.”
He now hopes to seize the opportunity presented to him in Qatar.
“You never know if this could be your last World Cup,” he said.
“Hopefully my team and I will arrive in good shape because we are really capable of doing great things when everyone is at 200 per cent.”