Japan and Indonesia are set to battle in the Asian Cup this weekend with the Japanese leading the way on the football predictions and the mathematics for this game to secure another victory after one win so far.
Despite the sole victory in Group D, Japan have not had it easy in the four-way contest.
【Match Report】SAMURAI BLUE lose 1-2 to Iraq in second group match of AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 #football https://t.co/B34yK7OPhZ— jfa_en (@jfa_en) January 22, 2024
【Match Report】SAMURAI BLUE lose 1-2 to Iraq in second group match of AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 #football https://t.co/B34yK7OPhZ
They managed to lose to Iraq last time out with the nation seeing 73% of the ball but also having only two shots on target throughout the game.
Liverpool's Wataru Endo managed to score in the 93rd minute that day to bring one back, but Iraq were ultimately the better team and much more clinical.
Japan do have a win on the board, however, as they managed to edge past Vietnam 4-2 with a brace from Monaco man Takumi Minamino - both goals came in the first half.
Keito Nakmura also scored a goal in the first 45, while Ayase Ueda managed to fire in a goal lager on in the game that saw Japan draw level twice.
The loss to Iraq, on the other hand, was only the first loss within the past 14 games and the club's first defeat since a brutal loss to Croatia in the round of 16 of the World Cup back in late 2022.
They would go on to draw with Uruguay and Colombia and defeat El Salvador and Canada in the summer of last year.
A famous 4-1 win over Germany would come soon after over in Berlin, as they then went on to defeat Turkey and Canada before a win over Tunisia.
World Cup qualifier wins over Myanmar and Syria would come next, as Japan won both games 5-0. THey also managed to defeat Thailand 5-0 after those wins and go on to win by another five-goal margin with a 6-1 defeat over Jordan in the build up to the Asian Cup.
As for Indonesia, they managed to get a commendable win over Vietnam in the last outing with a first-half penalty from Asnawi Mangkualam seeing the nation get to three points after a loss on matchday one.
Indonesia did lose to Iraq in the first game of Group D with Marselino Ferdinan getting an equaliser at the time to bring the game to 1-1, however, a 3-1 loss now means this game is all but a must-win for Japan and Indonesia.
Forebet predicts a win for Japan and over 2.5 goals.