Outright Odds: three hundred/1
Team F Winners: sixteen/1
Japan absolutely are a hard group to predict. Past year they conquer European champions Greece and acquired a reputable attract with Brazil in last years Confederations Cup but their qualifying marketing campaign was a lot less than convincing.
They misplaced just once in twelve qualifying matches, absent at Iran, and topped the team All round, However they only managed to attain in excess of two plans from a severely depleted Indian aspect and essential last second wins in opposition to Oman and Korea DPR.
Such feebleness in qualification observed the general public call for manager Zicos head but The actual fact they certified for the tournament will conserve the Brazilian football legends position In the interim. Japan arrived at the second spherical four several years ago but they may do properly to achieve that stage this time around.
The 2002 marketing campaign saw Japan defeat a dismal Russia in advance of narrowly dropping out to Turkey in the next spherical. Legend has it that then-mentor Phillipe Troussier chose striker Akinori Nishizawa, who experienced not performed from the tournament, forward of standard strikers Takayuki Suzuki and Atushi Yanagisawa since it was his birthday. Certainly Zico wouldnt make this kind of slip-up?
A British isles-dependent midfield trio of Hidetoshi Nakata (Bolton Wanderers), Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic), Junichi Inamoto (West Bromwich Albion) and if suit, Shinji Ono of Feyenoord presents Japan their best potential for achievements its the remainder of the workforce which lacks correct Intercontinental course.
The standard strike pairing of Naohiro Takahara and Yanagisawa tend not to get standard club football with Hamburg and Messina although the rest of the facet is manufactured up of inhabitants on the vastly improving J-League. Only four in the 23 players in last a long time Confederations Cup squad were being primarily based overseas.
The centre half-pairing of Gamba Osakas Tsuneyasu Miyamoto and Yokohamas Yuji Nakazawa were being good in the course of a qualification marketing campaign which conceded just five goals but Brazil, Croatia and Australia will give a Considerably sterner take a look at. Portsmouth flop Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, built the scapegoat immediately after Pompey missing four-one at your home to 먹튀검증업체 Leyton Orient on his debut, has highlighted about 80 situations in goal for his state.
Japan may be victims of their very own recent achievement and expectation will probably be wonderful at this decades finals. Even though There is certainly loads of expertise in midfield, the staff in general may not be approximately emulating their team topping exploits of 4 yrs in the past and therefore are unlikely to determine while in the knockout levels.
Suggested Wager
An unconvincing qualification marketing campaign and an absence of targets with the two strikers implies Japan can't be backed to qualify with the group. The truth is, they may be propping up The remainder by the point the three 1st spherical matches are completed and backing towards them can be a far better investment than supporting them.
Croatia to conquer Japan @ four/five