FIFA WORLD CUP 2018

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 – Japan vs Senegal PREVIEW

Well well well, who would’ve thought that these two would be top of the group after the first fixture? Both came in to their games as underdogs and both won, Japan beat Colombia while Senegal beat Poland by the same score of 2-1. It wasn’t much of a surprise that either team won, but the fact that both of them actually won is a little surprising. Both sides will be looking to win and a win here for either side puts them in a fantastic position to advance.

JAPAN

Japan pulled off one of the biggest surprises to many in their opening game. Japan picked up a 2-1 win against the group favourites and a dark horse Colombia. Now Japan got a little luck early in the game when Colombia’s DM Carlos Sanchez decided to try and save a goal by handballing the ball and getting himself sent off in the 3rd minute which then led to Japan penalty goal. The start to that game was crucial as Japan took the lead and had a man advantage and although they let Colombia back in the game that exerted a lot of energy from Colombia while Japan came back out in the 2nd half and dominated the game which eventually led to a 2-1 win by a winning goal by Osaka which Colombia failed to comeback from. Japan looked sluggish in the 1st half really being dominated by 10 men Colombia, but in the 2nd half they seized control and created a lot of chances, their finishing was a little poor however but eventually they took their chance. A win like that will do a whole lot of good for Japan’s confidence since now they have belief that their world cup might not end short and they may advance. Players that stood out in the 1st game were Osaka, Inui, Kagawa, Honda made a nice impact off the bench and Nagatomo was very good on the left side bombing down the wing on attacks and getting back to defend. The whole attack of Japan looked dangerous and will be looking to continue that against Senegal.

The task coming into the 2nd game doesn’t get any easier for Japan, in fact it will probably be tougher given the fact that Senegal will play with 11 men, well most likely. Japan will need to watch out for the powerful runs that Senegalese players like Sarr, Niang like to especially go on with the ball, defensively Japan have to be engaged because players like Mane, Diouf, Niang, Sarr and many other are very dangerous, especially Mane so whoever gets the assignment to mark him will have to be on his game, that assignment will either be Sakai or Nagatomo. Going forward, Japan need to show similar quality, they clearly shown that they don’t lack creativity with their midfield play but finishing has to improve. Although Osako scored, he did waste some really good chances. Japan have a lot of good players to pick from when it comes to creativity, they can play Kagawa, Honda, Okazaki, Inui and the same mentioned Osako plus their LB Nagatomo love to help out the attacks with his runs from the LB position to attack to provide more width. We shouldn’t be surprised if they rotated the line up a little as Okazaki’s health is improved and Honda put in a good shift off the bench, but it’s also possible that Japan’s coach Nishino will be picking the same line up again and bring on Okazaki and Honda as impact players. It worked the first time so why mess around with it? This is a great chance for Japan to solidify first place.

SENEGAL

Senegal have also picked up a win as odds on underdogs in their opener, although it didn’t come as a shock to anyone, it was more of a 50/50 game. Senegal were the fully deserved winners over Poland in a 2-1 win. Senegal played better for the most part, but their goals were definitely a little lucky, the first being a deflection and the 2nd being a complete disastrous defending mixed with goalkeeping by Poland. Something that was very impressive about Senegal is their powerful players who loved going on darting runs with the ball. They physically outmatched Poland in that game. Sarr looked very dangerous on the wing, Mane looked solid and Niang looked decent. At the back Senegal were also really solid, got scored against from a fantastic headed goal By Krychowiak but other than that Poland were quiet. Lewandowski had one moment of brilliance but he was none existent for the most part. Overall Senegal looked good, they out matched Poland with their athleticism, the only criticism is that they may need to be a bit better at creating chances which will come as they have talented players, but at the back and in the midfield they look good. They’re going into the 2nd game as favourites and a win here puts them in an even better position.

It really is a great chance for Senegal to advance now. Playing Japan, Senegal are the slight favourites and rightly so. Senegal will be looking to repeat the magic of 2002 and by winning this game they’re about 99% through. To win this, they’ve just gotta be solid from midfield to the back. Players like Koulibaly Gueye N’Diaye Sane are big guys who can physically dominate Japan. Because Japan have good attacking players as we’ve seen in the opener, Senegal’s backline has to be on their game and not let Japan get their creative play going. Going forward, we shouldn’t worry about Senegal because they have talented front line led by Mane Diouf and Niang and given the fact that Japan are a shaky team at the back they could exploit that. Senegal’s pace could be a huge difference in this match. They looked good against Poland, and if they can put in a similar performance then Senegal should be fine. Would give them the better chance to win in this game.

Prediction

Expect an evenly matched game between the sides. Both know that they have a fantastic opportunity to put themselves right at the top with 6 points and we should expect neither side to sit back. We’d have to give an edge to Senegal here however because they do have a more organised side, but Japan will be threatening. We should expect both teams to score. Senegal will gain an edge in this game as mentioned already because they have more talent, Koulibaly and Mane will the difference makers in this game. Just trust Mane to change the game better than anyone on the pitch going forward and Koulibaly to lead the defensive line better than anyone in Japan’s team. We should expect Senegal to pick up a 2-1 win.

Group Standings

1 Senegal 3 pts +1 GD

2 Japan 3 pts +1 GD

3 Colombia 0 pts -1 GD

4 Poland 0 pts -1 GD

ODDS – Decimal (WilliamHill)

Japan Win – 3.40

Draw – 3.00

Senegal – 2.30

KICK OFF – 24th June 2018 – 4pm UK Time