Tunisia will field a new coach when they face Japan in a crucial Group F match.
Hervé Renard will take over Tunisia for the first time when they face Japan in their second World Cup match of 2026 – after Sabri Lamouchi was sacked.
Lamouchi got the sack after Tunisia’s nightmare start with a 5-1 loss to Sweden in the opening match of the group stage.
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Now Renard is tasked with saving the campaign. The Frenchman was originally expected to lead Saudi Arabia into the World Cup after securing qualification for the golfing nation, but he was nevertheless sacked in April.
The 57-year-old coach is not a debutant in a championship context. He leads his fourth different national team in a World Cup, after previous assignments with Ivory Coast (2014), Morocco (2018) and Saudi Arabia (2022).
Renard is particularly remembered for leading Saudi Arabia to the sensational opening victory over Argentina in 2022 – although they were eventually eliminated in the group stage.
With eight of the best third-place finishers advancing to the round of 32, Tunisia’s hopes of advancing are still alive. However, after the heavy loss to Sweden, which severely damaged their goal difference, they will probably need a positive result in each of their last two games.
That’s easier said than done. Japan did not impress against the Netherlands, but came back twice to secure a 2-2 draw – a result that testifies to the team’s mental strength.
Japan is often referred to as a potential dark horse in the championship, having beaten teams like England and Brazil in friendlies recently.
Although Renard recognizes Japan’s qualities, he encourages Tunisia to focus on themselves and their own game.
“When the federation contacted me, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” Renard said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It’s a demanding challenge – but also a motivating one. I have told the players that we have to keep our heads high and look forward. You are here to represent Tunisia. It’s an honour and a duty – and we owe it to ourselves to do much better than in the opening match. I know Japan’s qualities very well, but right now we have to focus on ourselves.”
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Tunisia have no recent injury problems, but Renard could make several changes to their starting line-up to save their chances.
Japan, on the other hand, will have to do without Takefusa Kubo, who suffered a knee injury against the Netherlands.
Predicted line-ups
Tunisia (XI): Chamakh – Valery, Rekik, Talbi, Ali Abdi – Skhiri, Khedira – Achouri, Hannibal, Gharbi – Chaouat
Japan (XI): Suzuki – Taniguchi, Watanabe, H. Ito – Sugawara, Kamada, Sano, Nakamura – Roan, Maeda – Ueda
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Key figures before the match
- This will be the 1000th match in World Cup history.
- Japan have conceded goals in each of their seven World Cup matches since 2018, but have only lost two of them (three wins, two draws).
- In fact, the Samurai Blue have only lost one of their last four World Cup matches in which they have conceded the first goal (two wins, one draw).
- Five of Japan’s seven goals since the start of the 2022 World Cup have involved a substitute (three goals, two assists).
- Tunisia and Japan have met once before in a World Cup – Japan won 2-0 in the group stage in 2002.
- Japan have lost just one of six games against Tunisia (five wins) – a 3-0 home defeat in the Kirin Cup in 2022.
- Japan won their first two World Cup matches against African teams, but have not won any of their last two (one loss, one draw).
Our prediction: Tough for Tunisia
It will be difficult for Tunisia to be as weak as against Sweden. At the same time, it is difficult to expect such a big improvement that they beat a solid Japan team.
Tunisia 0–2 Japan
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