Denmark go into their World Cup opener against a tricky Tunisia side on Tuesday in the unusual position of being among Europe’s dark horses, in with an outside chance of winning the tournament if they can get everything right in Qatar.

The key group game will be against France, a side they beat twice in the recent Nations League but first they will need to ensure that there are no slip-ups on Tuesday.

To ensure the best possible start, the Danes will turn to playmaker Christian Eriksen, who suffered a heart attack in their Euro 2020 opener against Finland in Copenhagen but who has since made a full recovery.

“After he came back, it’s been unbelievable. The second he stepped into the pitch for the first time in Amsterdam, playing against Holland, he just took control of the match, and since then, he’s just been better and better,” coach Kasper Hjulmand told Reuters recently.

Hjulmand has kept faith with many of the squad that pulled together in the wake of Eriksen’s near-fatal collapse, and the fact that the 30-yearold is fully fit will make a huge difference.

A 5-1 drubbing by Brazil in Paris aside, Tunisia have been steady of late without being spectacular, but they are still capable of punishing any mistakes the Danes might make.

Appearing at their sixth finals, Tunisia have never made the knockout stage. Being drawn in a group with Denmark, France and Australia has left them with something of a mountain to climb.

To do so they will have to shackle Eriksen, something few sides in international football have managed to do with any great success.

“He is the rhythm, he is the heart of our team, the pulse of our play. He’s a tremendous football player,” Hjulmand said, and now Tunisia have to find a way to stop him.

Since arrival in Qatar, Denmark — one of the most outspoken critics of the tournament being hosted by Qatar — has been training in kits that are all black to mourn migrant workers who died building infrastructure for the tournament.

They were also planning on wearing the “One Love” anti-discrimination armband along with other European teams before the campaign was dropped when Fifa threatened to hand out yellow cards. “Imagine going on the pitch with a clear yellow card to start with. That is not possible and we have to make sure that it’s not up to the players to make that decision,” Hjulmand said.

Written with inputs from Reuters & AP/PTI