Denmark vs Australia: Can Sisto or Leckie’s pace make the difference for their teams?

The outcome of Thursday’s meeting between Denmark and Australia will help shape Group C. Denmark were rather fortuitous to beat Peru in their first match but are now in a great position to progress to the knockout stage. Australia, meanwhile, were unlucky to lose to France and now have a mountain to climb in order to prolong their stay in Russia.

If Australia are to turn their campaign around then Bert van Marwijk’s side need to get Mathew Leckie involved in more threatening positions against Denmark. The 27-year-old mustered 38 touches against France - only three starters managed fewer for Denmark - but the vast majority of those were 10 yards either side of the halfway line.

Leckie is arguably the only player in Australia’s 23-man squad that has pace that can inflict fear in the opposition and it’s important for Australia that he utilises his speed closer to Denmark’s goal. Leckie lacked cutting edge for Hertha Berlin last season, only manning 0.9 shots and 0.7 key passes per game but his speed can cause problems for Denmark.

Age Hareide’s side have kept clean sheets in each of their last five but Leckie can help Australia carve out goalscoring opportunities by stretching Denmark’s defence. Similarly, however, Australia will have to be mindful of the pace of Denmark forward Pione Sisto.

The 23-year-old is the standout player in Denmark’s squad that offers serious speed and he could prove a key player in helping create space for Christian Eriksen. The Tottenham ace was kept relatively quiet by Peru, but still managed to deliver the pass for their winner.

In order to get Eriksen on the ball in dangerous positions more frequently, Sisto can help carve open space by stretching Australia’s defence. While Leckie lacks creativity, Sisto proved for Celta Vigo last season that he can chip in with goals and assists. In fact, only four players provided more assists than Sisto in La Liga last season (9).

The pace offered by Leckie and Sisto could prove key to both teams on Thursday, but it’s hard to look beyond Denmark if Sisto can help Eriksen get into threatening positions on a regular basis.