We expect a tight affair in this opening tie, with the Oranje to come out on top against Samurai Blue.
Netherlands vs Japan Betting Predictions
All odds courtesy of BetMGM – correct at time of publishing and subject to change
A victory for Oranje
According to statistics, the Netherlands have the more impressive squad going into this fixture. Ronald Koeman has some strong players at his disposal, but they’re also not as standout as the previous Oranje teams. Japan are the underdogs at Dallas Stadium, but will back themselves to cause problems.
Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen is a doubt after suffering a hip injury, but he will be eager to start. Jurrien Timber was recently ruled out completely, too, with Lutsharel Geertruida coming in to replace him. Meanwhile, the Japanese have to deal with the absence of star attacker Kaoru Mitoma.
The last meeting between these two resulted in a 2-2 draw, but plenty has changed since 2013. We expect Samurai Blue to give the Europeans a run for their money. However, the men in orange should ultimately come out on top.
Japan’s goalscoring struggles
Japan have kept five consecutive clean sheets ahead of this competition, and haven’t conceded since October. Hajime Moriyasu has done a great job, and last year’s wins over Brazil, England, and Ghana are proof of that. However, they aren’t particularly dangerous goalscorers, netting over two goals in only four of their last nine games.
That’s something that the Dutch have likely noted. With the likes of Denzel Dumfries and Virgil van Dijk in their backline, the European outfit will back themselves for a clean sheet. All of Japan’s last three matches resulted in 1-0 victories, and just three of their last 12 saw both teams score.
Given that the Oranje have conceded some avoidable goals lately, they’ll want to keep a tight defence. This could be a fascinating tactical match as Group F gets underway.
Expecting a low-scoring affair
This tie could prove to be a cagey one, especially as a first fixture. We don’t expect any sort of goalfest either. The Dutch secured a narrow 1-0 victory in their 2010 World Cup meeting, and a similar result is likely here. Still, this Netherlands side doesn’t have the same quality compared to 16 years ago.
Koeman has only lost one of his last 12 matches in charge, but the team is not as efficient at scoring recently. Three of their last six feature under 2.5 goals, and Xavi Simons’ absence is a major setback. Moreover, the Japanese seem very organised, so a low-scoring clash seems likely.
Both sides will be eager to start strong at this year’s showpiece event, and they could cancel each other out. It really could go either way.
Our analysis: Form of both teams
Score prediction – Netherlands 1-0 Japan
Goalscorers Prediction – Netherlands: Cody Gakpo
The Netherlands have recorded inconsistent results in the build-up to the World Cup, but returned to winning ways against Uzbekistan. Ronald Koeman’s men were beaten by Algeria earlier this month and drew with Ecuador in March. They’re favourites to win their opening game, but by a narrow margin, and will be eager to silence some critics.
As for Japan, they’ve secured some excellent results this year. Victories over Scotland, Iceland, and England all came with clean sheets. Hajime Moriyasu is likely satisfied with these results. Samurai Blue will fancy their chances in Group F, but face a difficult first game as their tournament gets underway in Texas.
Probable lineups for Netherlands vs Japan
Netherlands expected lineup: Verbruggen, Dumfries, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, De Jong, Gravenberch, Reijnders, Lang, Malen, Gakpo
Japan expected lineup: Suzuki, Ito, Taniguchi, Watanabe, Doan, Endo, Nakamura, Sano, Kamada, Kubo, Ueda
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