History in the World Cup:
Tunisia have qualified for the FIFA World Cup after 12 years. They managed to qualify for 3 consecutive World Cups between 1998 and 2006 during which they were knocked out of the group stages on all three occasions. They were in the same group as England in 1998 , losing 2-0 with Shearer and Scholes the goalscorers.
Current Form:
Tunisia have won 5,drawn 4 and lost just 1 of their last 10 games ,scoring 15 and conceding 9 in the process. This isn't a record to be sniffed at considering they've played decent teams like Portugal , Turkey, Morocco and Egypt during that time period. They just about beat Congo to the top spot in their group in their qualifying campaign while remaining unbeaten. They don't quite have the quality to cause an upset but their recent record suggests they may not be complete pushovers either.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Farouk Ben Mustapha (Al Shabab, Saudi Arabia), Moez Hassen (Chateauroux, France), Aymen Mathlouthi (Al Baten, Saudi Arabia)
Defenders: Rami Bedoui (Etoile du Sahel), Yohan Benalouane (Leicester City, England), Syam Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa, Turkey), Dylan Bronn (Gent, Belgium), Oussama Haddadi (Dijon, France), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly, Egypt), Yassine Meriah (CS Sfaxien), Hamdi Nagguez (Zamalek, Egypt)
Midfielders: Anice Badri (Esperance), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Al Ahli Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Ghaylene Chaalali (Esperance), Ahmed Khalil (Club Africain), Saifeddine Khaoui (Troyes, France), Ferjani Sassi (Al Nasr, Saudi Arabia), Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier, France), Naim Sliti (Dijon, France), Bassem Srarfi (Nice, France)
Forwards: Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Al Ittifaq, Saudi Arabia), Saber Khalifa (Club Africain), Wahbi Khazri (Rennes, France)
Key Player:
Wahbi Khazri: A crucial player for his country despite being considered surplus to requirements by Sunderland, who sent him on loan last season to Rennes. He scored 11 goals in 29 games , which is a decent return. Whether he plays out wide or as a central striker, he's usually a threat thanks to his strength, clever movement and powerful shooting. Tunisia will look to give him the ball at every opportunity to try and make something happen in the final third.
