Japan push their World Cup qualification bid in search for their fifth successive international match when they host Serbia in a friendly. The match schedules for Friday, with kickoff at 1:25 pm.
It is an enticing clash with both sides in good form in their recent encounters in the international scene. First, Japan has ten wins in their last eleven games in all competitions, while Serbia remains unbeaten in their last eight matches.
Japan had a perfect start to 2021 regarding their goalscoring form, especially in their last three Asian World Cup qualifiers. However, history books were written in March when the side went to demolish 14-0. The thrashing comes with an earlier 10-0 win over Myanmar.
Furthermore, the Samurai Blue are on top of Group F and eleven points clear of any challengers in Tajikistan. It has been a breeze in the group stages, winning all seven qualification matches, scoring 41 goals and only conceding one in the run.
Additionally, this won’t be the first time the two sides meet. Japan – currently ranked 28th in the Fifa rankings – lost to Serbia in 2010 and 2013 without scoring.
In contrast, Serbia is somewhat in the cold after failing to qualify for the Euros 2020. As a result, the side has only two fixtures in June before focusing on the World Cup qualification campaign in September.
Japan vs Serbia Head to Head
Both sides have two games against each other, with Serbia taking two wins while Japan without a win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Japan 4-1 Tajikistan
- Japan 10-0 Myanmar
- Mongolia 0-14 Japan
- Japan 3-0 South Korea
- Japan 0-2 Mexico
Away
- Azerbaijan 1-2 Serbia
- Serbia 2-2 Portugal
- Serbia 3-2 Ireland
- Panama 0-0 Serbia
- The Dominican Republic 0-0 Serbia
Japan Team News
After using three different goalkeepers between the sticks, Moriyasu decided to stick to Shuichi Gonda as his first-choice goalkeeper. Sho Sasaki might start on the bench to give Marseille’s Yuto Nagamoto a spot. We expect a defensive pairing of Shinnosuke Nakatani and Gen Shoji.
Serbia Team News
Notable absentees for the camp include Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Tadic, Luka Jovic and Dusan Vlahovic. Hence, attacker Dejan Joveljic could get a start and his second senior international cap. The engine room should be enough with the experienced pairing of Nemanja Gudelj and Nemanja Maksimovic.
Prediction and Odds
Given the history between the two teams, it is easy to envisage a Serbia win, but we feel there might be a change.
- Japan Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Both Teams to Score
