Japan racked up the goals against Bahrain in the last 16 of the AFC Asia Cup, with a 3-1 win. Iran will try to smother the Japanese with defence. Can the Blue Samurai break down the Iranian defence and score goals?
The teams will meet on Saturday, with progression to the semifinals in sight. The winner of the tie will play either hosts Qatar or Uzbekistan in the final four.
While Japan defeated Bahrain 3-1, Iran drew 1-1 with Syria at the end of full-time. Iran went on to win the tie thanks to a 5-3 penalty shootout victory.
Iran topped Group C to reach the knockout stages. Their defence was strong, conceding just two times. In four matches at the Asian Cup, the Iranians conceded a mere three goals.
The team is unbeaten in the competition, picking up three wins and one draw at the end of full-time. Meanwhile, Amir Ghalenoei’s team scored eight times.
Japan will be their most difficult test in the Asian Cup. However, this hasn’t been a vintage Japan performance. The team finished second in their group behind surprise-package Iraq.
The Blue Samurai have been guilty of conceding goals at the tournament, allowing six in four games. The attack has scored 11 times.
Ayase Ueda is the Japanese goal scoring stats leader with four goals.
He still has the chance to win the Asian Cup Golden Boot. The Feyenoord player is just two goals behind Aymen Hussein.
Saturday’s game is likely to come down to Iran’s strong defence and whether it can keep Japan’s attack at bay.
All four of Japan’s games finished with over 2.5 goals. Based on Iran’s defence that trend could end.
Since 2005, Iran and Japan have played a total of five times. Japan won three of the five matches, with Iran winning once and the teams drawing a game.
Iran’s recent run of results in all competitions have been good. They went unbeaten in their last 14 games and each of their last six games were wins.
The last time these teams met was in 2019 at the Asian Cup. The teams played in the semifinals, with Japan winning 3-1.
Iran are based on defence, which should see them stifle Japan for parts of the match. However, Japan’s attack should be able to break down the Iranians.
Our algorithm predicts another Japan win over Iran, with the final score being 1-0 in favour of the Blue Samurai. The victory will send Japan into the semifinals.