Soccer
Will Alphonso Davies play? Predicting Canada's starting XI vs. Qatar
FIFA+: World Cup archive & programmes FREE on DAZN
Canada are gearing up for a massive second match of their World Cup campaign, as a contest against Qatar later today could possibly catapult the Canadians to the top of Group B.
Jesse Marsch's side fought back for a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina in their tournament opener in Toronto last week, with the later Qataris drawing Switzerland by the same score to create a logjam in the group.
Now, with the scene shifting to Vancouver for today's match, the pressure on Canada to claim victory has increased.
With so much at stake, how will Marsch approach this game? Alphonso Davies has been in training with the team and is available for selection after a long layoff with a a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Cyle Larin was Canada's lone goalscorer in their opening match despite coming off the bench, and he could receive a start today.
Here is DAZN News' projected starting XI for Canada in their match against Qatar, along with the depth chart by position.
GOALKEEPER: Maxime Crépeau
The 32-year-old stood tall when he needed to in Canada's opener, and his calming influence is a major factor why he remains the team's No. 1.
Depth chart: Crepeau, St. Clair, Owen Goodman
FULL BACKS: Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea
Despite Marsch declaring him ready to play, Davies is still unlikely to feature today let alone start. That leaves Laryea to once again man the left-back spot, while Johnston is the top-choice right back.
One thing to watch is how much time Johnston gets today as he is on a yellow card, which could prompt Marsch to pull the Celtic defender from the match at some point, meaning Niko Sigur could make his World Cup debut in his hometown.
Depth chart: Johnston, Laryea, Davies, Sigur
CENTRE BACKS: Luc de Fougerolles, Derek Cornelius
Like Johnston, De Fougerolles was also shown a yellow card in the opening match which could affect his playing time today. While Marsch is still likely to keep the De Fougerolles-Cornelius pairing to start the match, it's doubtfull that the youngest player on Canada's squad stays on the field for all 90 minutes.
That could mark the World Cup debut of one of the other three central defenders in the squad.
Depth chart: De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Alfie Jones, Moise Bombito, Joel Waterman
Jesse Marsch debates Canada's striking options
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS: Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Koné
Eustaquio and Koné are virtually locks to start again in the midfield, with Koné especially showing why he's so key to this Canada side.
Jonathan Osorio was called upon to help close out the opening game last week, but Nathan Saliba and Mathieu Choinière still seem more likey to be called upon should either of the two starters be pulled by Marsch earlier in the match.
Depth chart: Eustaquio, Koné, Saliba, Choinière, Osorio
WINGERS: Tajon Buchanan, Liam Millar
Both Buchanan and Millar had their struggles last week against Bosnia, especially Buchanan who could not get much going on his side of the pitch.
That being said, both players are fully fit and likely to start, although Ali Ahmed's stellar 30-minute appearance could lead to Millar's place being challenged.
Depth chart: Buchanan, Millar, Ahmed, Jacob Shaffelburg, Jayden Nelson
STRIKERS: Jonathan David, Cyle Larin
Canada's top two all-time scorers will likely be reunited in the starting lineup after Larin watched the first 75 minutes of the opener from the bench.
Larin's goal in that match could see him back into the starting XI, and David's early exit from the opener was likely a message from Marsch that 90 minutes are not guaranteed regardless of his stature.
Depth chart: J. David, Larin, Oluwaseyi, Promise David.
Watch World Cup archive, highlights and documentaries for FREE on DAZN
DAZN is the home of FIFA+, a vast library of football on-demand content including World Cup archive, iconic documentaries, player profiles, live matches, and both full match replays and highlights.
Watch it all for FREE on DAZN on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles, and web browsers.
FIFA+ includes:
- FIFA World Cup archive - full match replays of all matches from Brazil 1970 to Qatar 2022
- World Cup goals - the best goals from each tournament; every goal from every nation from every tournament
- Original documentaries - including Mo: A Global Icon; Golden Boot: The Documentary; After Diego
- Icons of the game - From Pelé to Cristiano Ronaldo
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Live matches from around the world
