THE Socceroos look to get their first World Cup points on the board in a crucial Group C clash with Denmark on Thursday night (10pm AEST).

Bert van Marwijk’s side went down 2-1 to an unconvincing France side in their opening fixture, with a controversial penalty and unfortunate own goal denying Australia a valuable point.

The Socceroos looked strong at times but rarely troubled the French defence, so attacking firepower and forward-thinking tactics will surely be a focus for the Dutch coach ahead of their second assignment.

The great Danes got off to a steady but successful start themselves - A goal from Yussuf Poulsen earning them all three points in a 1-0 win over Peru.

Despite being contained for the majority of the game, Denmark star Christian Eriksen only needed seconds to punish the South Americans with an eye-of-the-needle pass to set up the goal.

They’ll look to build on that performance knowing a win against the Socceroos will secure a place in the knockout stages of the tournament.

WHEN AND WHERE IS IT?
21 June at Samara Arena, Samara. Kick-off is scheduled for 10pm Thursday AEST.

HOW CAN YOU WATCH IT?
Watch the match live on SBS and follow all the action with foxsports.com.au’s live blog and in-depth coverage.

TEAM NEWS
Socceroos predicted XI: Ryan (gk), Risdon, Sainsbury, Milligan, Behich, Jedinak (capt), Mooy, Leckie, Rogic, Kruse, Nabbout

Injury concerns: Tomi Juric continues to recover from his knee injury, and is in the frame to lead the attack in place of Andrew Nabbout.

Denmark predicted XI: Schmeichel (capt), Dalsgaard, Kjaer (capt), Christensen, Stryger Larsen, Lasse Schone, Delaney, Poulsen, Eriksen, Sisto, Jørgensen

Injury concerns: William Kvist was substituted in the 36th minute against Peru after suffering a punctured lung. He won’t feature for Denmark again in Russia.

KEY STATS
Head to head
Played 3 – Socceroos 1 win, Denmark 2 wins

Past Meetings
02/06/12 - Denmark 2-0 Socceroos in an international friendly

01/06/10 - Socceroos 1-0 Denmark in an international friendly

06/02/07 - Denmark 3-1 Socceroos in an international friendly

ODDS (courtesy of sportsbet.com.au)
Denmark $1.83, draw $3.40, Australia $4.50

WHY THE SOCCEROOS WILL WIN
They need to, or at least get a draw. It’s do or die.

Bert van Marwijk will surely encourage his players to attack the Denmark defence at will.

They looked strong at the back against the French and will look to carry that resolute defending into this fixture.

But the midfield is where the battle will be won or lost for the Socceroos.

Mile Jedinak and Aaron Mooy will not only have to keep Eriksen quiet, but also look to free up space for the likes of Tom Rogic and Andrew Nabbout to attack the Danish defence.

An injection of Daniel Arzani’s pace and direct forward play out wide would offer another element to the Socceroos’ front line if they fail to find the net in the first half.

They need to throw everything at the Danes because their World Cup is most definitely on the line.

WHY DENMARK WILL WIN
They’ve got quality all over the park, spearheaded by superstar Christian Eriksen.

The midfielder will look to get into the game and if he’s not contained by the Socceroos, is the potential match-winner.

Peru often troubled the Danish defence and they’re likely to pose a similar threat against the Socceroos but they’ll need to be regimented at the back with Australia likely to throw plenty at them in attack.