Netherlands

vs

Japan

Preview

Netherlands

Japan

Key Players

• Ronald Koeman has brought a lot of tactical flexibility to his role as Oranje boss since his appointment in January 2023, but the Netherlands continue to play with structure and control when the Dutchman is at the helm.
• They will need Frenkie de Jong to control the pace and tempo of the midfield battle against a Japanese team that will press hard to disrupt the Oranje midfield.
• Takefusa Kubo's pace and skill on the flanks will be a constant threat to Netherlands and can cut the Dutch defense to ribbons on the break.
• Wataru Endo is the steel in Japan's midfield, providing the physicality to win the ball and the quality to start counter-attacks with his distribution.
• Japan's system is a flexible 3-4-2-1, which is designed to get the maximum out of their players by pressing at high intensity and then being as quick as lightning on the transition.
• Takumi Minamino, who is arguably Japan's most creative and best forward option, thrives in this system as he is constantly on the move and can finish with aplomb on the counter.

Betting Insights

• The odds for both teams to score - Yes, 1.77, are very appealing for a game where Japan are desperate to get on the scoresheet and the Netherlands have the firepower to do some damage.
• A draw looks the most likely result and the odds of 3.59 are very generous for a fixture where neither team looks dominant.
• Koeman's Netherlands have averaged 2.00 goals per match at home and they will want to replicate that against a good defensive Japanese side on a different stage.
• But Japan have won their last two away games against Scotland (1-0) and England (1-0) and beat Iceland 1-0 at home in their most recent match.
• They have kept three clean sheets in a row and conceded just once in their last four on the road.
• We think the under bet could be the way to play it, with Under 2.5 goals priced at 1.88, which looks a bit tight with so much at stake on this Group F fixture.

Prediction