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Denmark coach Kasper Hjolmand said he is not afraid of confrontation Globalism France, the holders of the trophy, beat them twice on Saturday in this year’s Nations League.
The Danes drew 0-0 with Tunisia in their opening match but know a positive result against France at Stadium 974 will see them well placed in Group D before facing Australia in their final match.
“It’s an important match for us after the start we played. They are opponents who belong to the pinnacle of world football and are the current champions,” Hgulmand told a news conference on Friday.
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“The quality and talent they have in France at the moment is amazing. I have huge respect for them but we also know how strong we are.”
Denmark, Euro 2020 semi-finalists, defeated France home and away in the Nations League, and arrived in Qatar as one of the dark horses ahead of the tournament.
The two teams also met in the group stage of the last World Cup, where the only goalless tie was played four years ago in Russia.
“We know that if we play our best we know we have a chance to get a good result against France. To be able to do that we have to take a big step forward from the first game.”
France lost Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema to injury on the eve of the World Cup, but Didier Deschamps’ side crushed Australia 4-1 to begin their title defense.
Olivier Giroud scored twice to equal Thierry Henry’s goalscoring record for France, while Kylian Mbappe scored and provided the assist in a solid performance from France.
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Asked if there was a specific plan to take on Mbappe, Hjulmand replied: “I don’t think it’s a good idea to be afraid of anything.
“In the last game we played in Copenhagen (against France in September) we had a good plan. He had two or three big chances.
“No matter what plans you have against top-class players like Mbappe, you can’t keep a top player like that.
“We have a lot of ideas about how we can reduce the chances he will get. We don’t want him to unleash the amazing talent that he has.”
Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen played the full 90 minutes against Tunisia in his first match at a major tournament since suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch at last year’s European Championships.
“It’s been a long time. It’s about me now as a player. I’m just happy to be back as a footballer,” said Eriksen.
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