Renard takes charge as Tunisia face Japan in Monterrey

Renard takes charge as Tunisia face Japan on Saturday

This is salvage mode. Tunisia play Japan on Saturday in Monterrey in their second Group F match, and Hervé Renard will be on the touchline (1) (3).

The veteran Frenchman was parachuted in after Sabri Lamouchi was sacked in the wake of that 5–1 collapse against Sweden. Renard has had almost no time. He knows it.

"There is no magician in football," Renard said ahead of the match (2). He is not promising miracles. He is promising structure, discipline, and a team that fights.

The group is moving without you

Netherlands face Sweden on Saturday at 19:00 CEST (4). That match will shape the table before Tunisia even kick off. If Sweden win, the group gets tighter. If Netherlands win, the Dutch take control.

Either way, Tunisia need points. The Japan match is not technically must-win, but a second straight defeat and the campaign is effectively over.

Japan are no Sweden, but they are dangerous

Japan opened their tournament with a win and play a high-tempo, technical game. Tunisia will need to be compact and sharp on the counter. Renard's World Cup pedigree, he took Saudi Arabia to a famous win over Argentina, is the one card Tunisia hold.

Predicted line-ups suggest Renard may shuffle the side that was torn apart by Sweden (3). Expect a more cautious shape.

Fan reactions

Tunisia fans online are split between fury at the Sweden performance and cautious hope that Renard can pull something off. The consensus: Saturday cannot be another humiliation. One thread on r/soccer captured the mood, some calling the Sweden defeat the worst Tunisia display in a generation, others pointing to Renard's track record as reason to believe.

Link to discussion