Japan VS Thailand Match Prediction
- 2017-03-28
- 10:35:00
Japan will win this match.
In 27 meetings, Japan hold a dominant 18 to three edge in wins with just six draws between them. Here are the last five meetings:
Sep 6, 2016: Thailand 0-2 Japan (Qualifiers)
Jun 14, 2008: Thailand 0-3 Japan (Qualifiers)
Feb 6, 2008: Japan 4-1 Thailand (Qualifiers)
Jul 24, 2004: Thailand 1-4 Japan (AFC Asian Cup)
Oct 10, 2002: Japan 3-0 Thailand (Asian Games)
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Japan aren't likely to have any more slip ups, but if they do it won't come against Thailand.
Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:
Japan are at 1/12 to win, a draw is at 9/1, and a Thailand win is at 22/1.
The double chance odds for a shock Thailand win or a draw are at 15/2. The same for Japan is at just 1/80.
Both teams to score is at 11/8 for yes and 8/15 for no.
A 1-0 win for Japan at the final whistle could bring you 22/1 odds if correct.
Reason: Thailand are the worst side in Asia to have made it to this stage in qualification. They have just one point, and they have an awful record against Japan in their history. They are also favored to lose by quite a lot, as the 1-0 win odds showcase.
Bosnian manager Vahid Halihodzic has wedded together some new blood with some older names in order to develop this present Japanese side. And he's finally seemingly begun to transition away from Keisuke Honda, as their win over UAE showed that they have other options up front. This will likely continue, as it should, because they have a lot of different options going forward and can change it up when needed.
Yuya Kubo, a 23 year old that is playing at Gent in Belgium right now, is a man to keep an eye on. In just his third cap for the Japanese, Kubo scored a great goal against the UAE to open the scoring on Thursday. He was given a great pass, no doubt, but his curved finish into the near post from a tight angle was superb, and he's likely to have made many fans with just that one goal. Kubo has also been on fire for his club, scoring five times in seven matches. Thailand need to watch him very closely as he could easily score a couple here.
Japan have four wins and one draw in their last five matches in the group. They won 0-2 at the UAE on Thursday to remain at the top of the group.
Goalkeeper:Kawashima
Defenders:Sakai, Yoshida, Morishige, Nagatomo
Midfielders:Yamaguchi, Konno, Kagawa
Striker:Kubo, Haraguchi, Osako
Kiatisuk Senamuang will be missing his captain Theerathon Bunmathan due to a yellow card suspension that he picked up against Saudi Arabia. Another interesting note is that Senamuang made a change at the back at half time of the loss in Malaysia by replacing Chuthong with Notchaiya. At that point, they were just one down, so you wonder what the motivation for the change was.
Former Manchester City player (though he made no appearances) Teerasil Dangda has quite the track record for the Thai national team. He's scored 40 times in 86 caps, and he's still just 28 years of age. He's played for other sides in Europe as well, so he has a definite pedigree and has to be taken seriously when he is in attacking positions. But don't look for him to be a factor throughout as Japan should dominate possession rather easily.
Thailand have four losses and one draw (against Australia of course) in their last five qualifiers. They lost 0-3 to Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Goalkeeper:Thamsatchanan
Defenders:Kesarat, Chuthong, Promrak
Midfielders:Do, A-nan, Songkrasin, Kaewprom, Chappuis
Striker:Chatthong, Dangda