Uruguay VS Japan Match Prediction

In four prior meetings, all of which were friendlies, Uruguay have three wins and a loss against Japan.

Here's a look at those results:

Oct 16, 2018: Japan 4-3 Uruguay
Sep 5, 2014: Japan 0-2 Uruguay
Aug 14, 2013: Japan 2-4 Uruguay
Aug 20, 2008: Japan 1-3 Uruguay

URU vs JPN Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Uruguay are at -600 to win, a draw is at +600, and a Japan win is at +1400.

- Top two teams advance automatically from the group. The best two third-placed sides will also progress.

After one round of fixtures, Group C sees the name of Uruguay on top after they took all three points off of Ecuador via a brutal 4-0 win.  Ecuador, due to the severity of its loss, are on the very bottom and will have some work to do in order to forge a path out of the group.  As for Japan, they sit alongside them having lost by that same score to Chile on Monday.  That means Uruguay and Chile are on level footing ahead of the second match of the group.

Uruguay will come into this match in a positive mood after they easily shook off Ecuador in their opener to the tune of four goals, two of which were just absolutely brilliant to behold.  Overall, though, this has been a hard team to read throughout the year.  They have been feast or famine, taking no draws as they have won seven times and lost five times.  Two of the losses came to France, while notable losses came against both South Korea and this very same opponent as well.

Japan have had a pretty decent year.  They didn’t look their best at the World Cup last summer, but they did get out of the group thanks to a little bit of luck.  It ended there, though, as Belgium knocked them out.  They then went to the AFC Asian Cup and were favored only to fall short to an emerging Qatar team that is also here.  Since their dismissal from the World Cup, they have only lost thrice and drawn twice in 17 matches, a pretty nice run. As mentioned before, though, the teams that beat them are at this very competition, with Qatar and Colombia among them, along with Chile now.

Betfair have no for both sides scoring at 1.5.

Uruguay and over 2.5 total goals is at ¾ via Ladbrokes.

Uruguay vs Japan Prediction

With Cavani and Suarez up front, it’s always going to be tough to hold Uruguay down for very long.  The two-time World champions continue their charge toward a possible title with victory over a determined Japan.

Correct Score Prediction: Uruguay 3-0 Japan

Uruguay Team News

Oscar Tabarez’s main worry will likely relate to the age of his star players, with a lot of them surely in need of a rest at some point in this tournament.  Apart from that, the yellow card situation could present him with one or two slight worries.  Jose Gimenez and Nicolas Lodeiro each picked up one of those on Sunday, so they will need to be careful to not miss out on the final match.

Uruguay Key Man

This Uruguay team is just so good at the two ends of the pitch.  Not only does their side possess Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, two of the top finishers in all of football, both of which scored on Sunday, but it also holds a very strong defence as well.  Part of that defence is Diego Godin, a man that is so massively experienced.  Not only is he nearly impossible to get through, but he’s also shown to be quite a scorer at times when in the opposite box as well, such is the threat of the Atletico Madrid man.  

Uruguay Team Form

Uruguay have four wins and a loss in their last five matches:

4-0 win vs Ecuador
3-0 home win vs Panama (Fri)
0-4 win vs Thailand (Fri Cup)
3-0 win vs Uzbekistan (Fri Cup)
1-0 loss at France (Fri)

Uruguay Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-4-2

Japan Team News

Hajime Moriyasu has some big questions to answer here after his team was picked apart in defeat to Chile on Monday night.  Having said that, he will need to be mindful as both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Yuta Nakayama will have to be careful of the yellow cards after they picked one up in that drubbing.

Japan Key Man

Unlike Qatar, Japan have not called up their very best, and that is looking to be an awful decision so far.  Besides Premier League winner Shinji Okazaki, the next biggest scorer is Gaku Shibasaki, who has just three to his name.  He’ll be massive in the center of the park here as Uruguay could potentially be picked apart from that spot.  Shoya Nakajima has looked impressive in limited appearances as well, with the midfielder scoring three times in just 11 outings for his nation.

Japan Team Form

Japan have three wins, a draw, and a loss in their last five matches:

0-4 loss vs Chile
2-0 home win vs El Salvador (Fri)
0-0 home draw vs Trinidad & Tobago (Fri)
1-0 home win vs Bolivia (Fri)
0-1 home loss vs Colombia (Fri)

Japan Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-4-2

Japan might not look like much of a contender, and they may not be to win it outright, but don't overlook them too much. Their is a huge Japanese population in Brazil and this is one of the most technical, well-trained sides in the world when it comes to fitness. It's no secret that Uruguay's stars are only getting older, and that factor could make it tough on them. With that said, they have been around the block and have the nous to take down the Blue Samurai with lethal finishing.

All of Japan's losses this year have come against sides that are featured in this edition of the Copa.