We’ve got a pair of podcasts to wrap up a busy, busy week for Premier League clubs in Europe.
Robbie Mustoe and Robbie Earle review the opening fixtures of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League group stage focusing on Liverpool’s 3-2 win over PSG (0:25), Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan (14:00), Manchester United’s 3-0 win at Young Boys (24:25), Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Lyon (29:30), Chelsea’s win at PAOK (40:30) and Arsenal taking care of business against Vorskla (46:20).
Join Earle & Mustoe on The 2 Robbies Football Show, Saturdays at 5 p.m. ET. Listen on the NBCSports Radio App and call 855-323-4622 in the U.S. for lively passionate debate.
All of the The 2 Robbies content can be accessed by clicking on this link:
Kyle Martino takes a deep dive on a big week for Liverpool which saw the Reds come away with victories against Tottenham and PSG (7:40), a down week for Spurs which saw them lose their third straight after falling 2-1 to Inter (20:20) and whether or not Eden Hazard truly is the best in Europe (30:10).
After their superb win against Tunisia last time out, Australia know a win against Denmark puts them in the last 16 of the World Cup for just the second time in their history. Graham Arnold has had plenty of criticism for the way his team play but they were totally committed against Tunisia and always carried a threat on the counter. They will have to put in a very similar display against the talented Danes but a point could well be enough as Tunisia would have to beat France in the other game in Group D to complicate matters further for Australia and Denmark.
As for Denmark, they have had a very poor tournament so far. They were woeful in attack against Tunisia in an opening game stalemate, while they were beaten by France last time out and Kasper Hjulmand has failed to get his team going in attack. Christian Eriksen and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are trying to drive Denmark on from midfield but they just haven’t look dangerous going forward. They have to win against Australia and then hope Tunisia doesn’t beat France and it goes down to goal difference.
How to watch Australia vs Denmark live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET – Wednesday, November 30 Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah TV channels en Español: Telemundo Streaming en Español:Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Australia will set up exactly the same as they did against Tunisia as they will whip in balls to Mitchell Duke who was the hero with his superb flicked header. Both Duke and Arnold pointed to the ‘Aussie Spirit’ getting them the win against Tunisia and there is a real grit and determination about this team.
STARTING XI 🗒️
Presenting our starting side for today's Group D decider against Denmark 👊🇦🇺
Denmark know they have to win, so they will go for a more attack-minded lineup and they have the quality to beat Australia. They start Braithwaite in attack as they try to get something going offensively and this is basically a knockout game in the group stage.
Vores startopstilling til den altafgørende kamp mod Australien 💪🏼
Current FIFA world ranking: 38
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified from AFC via the intercontinental playoffs
Coach: Graham Arnold
Key players: Mathew Ryan, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie
Denmark quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 10
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group F)
Coach: Kasper Hjulmand
Key players: Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjaer, Christian Eriksen
With France already through to the last 16 of the World Cup courtesy of their two wins so far against Australia and Denmark, Didier Deschamps may rest a few key players for this game. That will give Tunisia hope and after their 0-0 draw against Denmark and their narrow 1-0 defeat to Australia, they’ve been in both games but just can’t find that finishing touch in the final third.
France have an abundance of talent, and that’s just on their bench. Despite losing Nkunku, Benzema, Pogba and Kante to injury before the tournament kicked off, it hasn’t really impacted them as they’ve made light work of their opening two group games. Kylian Mbappe was the difference against Denmark and he already has three goals at this tournament to be the joint top scorer.
How to watch Tunisia vs France live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET – Wednesday, November 30 Stadium: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan TV channels en Español: Telemundo Streaming en Español:Peacock (all 64 matches)
Tunisia think they have taken the lead against France, but the offside flag goes up. Some finish that by Ghandri and a lovely cross from Khazri.
Tunisia need to take more risks in attack and this is all or nothing for them now. They need to win and hope that Australia against Denmark ends in a draw as they have the upperhand over Australia when it comes to goal difference. If they win and Denmark win it will also go down to goal difference to see if they reach the last 16. Khazri starts this game to give them extra quality in attack.
La composition de départ pour notre dernier match de poule 👊
France now have the luxury of resting some of their key players ahead of the last 16 but Deschamps will be keen to make it three wins from three in the group stage to keep momentum going. Camavinga, Mandanda, Guendouzi and Camavinga all start. France just need a point to guarantee top spot in the group but in reality their huge advantage in goal difference over Australia (6 goals better off) means they’ve already won the group.
Tunisia quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 30
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified via CAF playoffs (Beat Mali)
Coach: Jalel Kadri
Key players: Ferjani Sassi, Wahbi Khazri, Youssef Msakni
France quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 4
World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group D)
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Key players: Hugo Lloris, Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema
Christian Pulisic was injured scoring the lone goal of a 1-0 win over Iran as the United States men’s national team advanced to the World Cup’s Round of 16 on Tuesday.
The Yanks, runners-up in Group B, will play Group A winners Netherlands at 10am ET Saturday.
Pulisic walked off the field on his power and appeared to have taken a hard shot to the midsection. We’ll update his condition as soon as it becomes available.
It’s difficult not to feel good for Christian Pulisic, no longer the young sparkplug hopeful of reaching his potential.
The next great American player actually became the next great American player, and our enduring World Cup-related memory of him was in qualification; The teenage goal scorer who didn’t find a teammate to also score in Couva as the Yanks crashed out of the tournament.
Now the enduring World Cup image of him, rightly so, is as a gamer. Pulisic scored a round-sealing goal while getting kicked in the nether region.
Then his teammates needed to hold on tight.
They mostly did! The USMNT stayed firm after Gregg Berhalter stopped going for the second goal, removing several attackers in favor of Walker Zimmerman and Shaq Moore.
It was nervy, but they did it. And the U.S. moves forward…
How to watch Iran vs USA live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2pm ET, Tuesday Nov. 29 Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor TV channels en Español: Telemundo Streamingen Español:Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
For Iran, it’s about riding the momentum of a huge win after finding inspiration in a huge loss. There’s an ocean’s worth of difference in emotion between the 6-2 tournament-opening loss to England in Al Rayyan and the 2-0 triumph over Wales In the same city. Can Mehdi Taremi or Sardar Azmoun succeed where Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling could not and break down the USMNT defense for a goal?
There has also been some off-field tension brewing between the U.S. and Iran surrounding this game, as Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams responded to in a tense press conference amid questions from the Iranian press.
🗣 "The players and the staff knew nothing about what was being posted."
USA head coach Gregg Berhalter responds to the social media post by the US Soccer Federation which featured the Iran flag without the islamic republic emblem #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/mRzhQW0vNs
Current FIFA world ranking: 20
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from AFC (Won Group A)
Coach: Dragan Skocic
Key players: Ehsan Hajsafi, Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi
USA quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 16
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 9
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONCACAF (3rd place)
Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Key players: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams
The youngest starting XI at #Qatar2022 thus far. 🇺🇸
The 2022 World Cup is already well underway and through the first matches of the group stage, the tournament has been marked by unpredictability and upsets, including Saudi Arabia toppling Argentina and Japan edging out Germany thanks to a late comeback. While one loss doesn’t necessarily mean these pre-tournament contenders won’t make it to the knockout rounds, it does make the path significantly harder. Read on to see the World Cup tiebreakers that may come into play in determining which teams advance to the next round and continue on the path to soccer’s greatest glory.
How many teams will advance from the World Cup group stage?
Of the 32 teams at the 2022 World Cup, only 16 will advance to the next round of the tournament. The top two teams in each of the eight groups will advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will be a single-elimination competition, with eight teams making it through to the quarterfinals and four to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinal matches will play in the final, while the losers will meet in the third-place playoff.
What are the tiebreakers for the group stage at the World Cup?
If two or more teams have an equal number of points after the conclusion of group stage matches, FIFA will use the following tiebreakers to determine which nations advance:
Goal differential – the team with the higher goal differential (total goals scored minus total goals allowed) will have the higher ranking
Number of goals scored – If multiple teams have the same number of points and equal goal differential, the team with more goals scored will be given a higher ranking than the lesser-scoring team
World Cup draw rules
If two or more teams are still “tied” after applying these tiebreakers, FIFA moves on to a second round of tiebreakers:
Greatest number of points obtained in group matches between the teams concerned
Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the team concerned
Greatest number of goals scored in all matches between the teams concerned
Highest team conduct score – team conduct score is based on the number of yellow and red cards a team has obtained. The team with the highest team conduct score will receive the higher ranking.
Yellow Card: Minus one point
Indirect Red Card (acquired via two yellow cards): Minus three points
Direct Red Card: Minus four points
Yellow Card and Direct Red Card: Minus five points
The “team conduct” tiebreaker or “fair play” tiebreaker was first used at the 2018 World Cup – Japan and Senegal stood equal after all other tiebreakers were applied but Senegal had more yellow cards and was subsequently eliminated. Japan advanced to the Round of 16.
World Cup 2022 schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live
When: November 20, 2022 to December 18, 2022
Group stage game kick-off times: 5am, 8am, 10am, 11am, 2pm (all ET)
Location: Qatar
TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
