Christian Eriksen Can Push Denmark Past Australia

Denmark vs. Australia, 8 a.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

• Australia +353
• Denmark -103
• Draw +245

Bet to Watch:

Denmark to win -103

Denmark won their first match against Peru, 1-0, thanks in part to Peru's Christian Cueva skying a penalty kick into the lower stratosphere. It was a difficult match for Denmark, who frequently struggled to cope with Peru's high-octane approach. They were outshot 17-10 and out-possessed 53% to 47%. But Denmark has Christian Eriksen, and in the 59th minute, he orchestrated a counterattack, playing Yussuf Poulsen through on goal.

Eriksen's task against Australia will be different. Against France, Australia played a conservative defensive game, but they didn't sit deep; instead they opted to congest the midfield and make themselves difficult to pass through, while daring France to slice them open and get in behind, which is eventually exactly what happened. Erisken, rather than trying to slow a frantic game down versus Peru, will need to orchestrate an attack against an organized and set defense.

Expect Eriksen to have extremely tight spaces to work in, and frequently be forced to either recycle possession or try to wriggle between two or three closely positioned Australian defenders before attempting to find a game-changing pass. But, this is exactly how Eriksen excels, and if Australia give him enough chances, he'll eventually make them pay.