Outright Odds: 300/one
Group F Winners: 16/1
Japan can be a hard team to predict. Previous year they defeat European champions Greece and earned a credible draw with Brazil in very last decades Confederations Cup but their qualifying campaign was a lot less than convincing.
They lost just the moment in 12 qualifying matches, away at Iran, and topped the team Over-all, Nonetheless they only managed to score over two objectives versus a severely depleted Indian facet and essential last second wins against Oman and Korea DPR.
This kind of feebleness in qualification saw the public demand manager Zicos head but The very fact they skilled for that Event will save the Brazilian football legends job In the interim. Japan arrived at the second spherical four several years in the past but they'll do properly to reach that phase this time about.
The 2002 marketing campaign noticed Japan defeat a dismal Russia before narrowly shedding out to Turkey in the second round. Legend has it that then-coach Phillipe Troussier selected striker Akinori Nishizawa, who had not performed in the Match, forward of normal strikers Takayuki Suzuki and Atushi Yanagisawa as it was his birthday. Absolutely Zico wouldnt make such a blunder?
A UK-based mostly midfield trio of Hidetoshi Nakata (Bolton Wanderers), Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic), Junichi Inamoto (West Bromwich Albion) and if healthy, Shinji Ono of Feyenoord gives Japan their finest possibility of achievements its the rest of the group which lacks legitimate Global course.
The regular strike pairing of Naohiro Takahara and Yanagisawa usually do not get regular club soccer with Hamburg and Messina even though the rest of the side is created up of citizens of your vastly strengthening J-League. Only 4 of your 23 gamers in previous a long time Confederations Cup squad had been centered overseas.
The centre half-pairing of Gamba Osakas Tsuneyasu Miyamoto and Yokohamas Yuji Nakazawa were good all through a qualification campaign which conceded just five targets but Brazil, Croatia and Australia will supply a Significantly sterner check. Portsmouth flop Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, created the scapegoat immediately after Pompey shed 4-1 at home to Leyton Orient on his debut, has featured above eighty times in aim for his country.
Japan may very well be victims of their own individual modern 토토사이트 results and expectation might be fantastic at this years finals. When There exists an abundance of talent in midfield, the team in general will not be up to emulating their group topping exploits of four decades ago and they are not likely to figure in the knockout stages.
Advisable Wager
An unconvincing qualification marketing campaign and an absence of ambitions from the two strikers indicates Japan can not be backed to qualify from your group. In fact, they could be propping up The remainder by the time the 3 first round matches are concluded and backing from them may be a much better financial commitment than supporting them.
Croatia to conquer Japan @ four/5