Japan vs Spain: Spain look to avoid slip-up against enigmatic Japan
Japan will hope to recover from a setback against Costa Rica as they take on Spain in their final group stage match on Thursday.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side have experienced their fair share of highs and lows so far, to say the least. They pulled off one of the biggest upsets so far at this competition by beating Germany 2-1, only to put in an awful display as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by a Costa Rica side who had barely mustered any shots on target.
That result sees the Asian side sitting in second place, albeit should Costa Rica manage a draw against Germany and they lose to Spain, the Blue Samurai will be dumped out of the competition. Japan will be hoping to qualify for the round of 16 for the second time in a row, but will naturally be up against it when they take on a Spain side who have already asserted themselves so far in Qatar.
Japan also have some injury concerns, with defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Hiroki Sakai possibly missing out due to hamstring problems, while midfielder Wataru Endo is still battling a knee injury and thus does not look likely to be involved in this match. Still, despite this, they will be hoping to pull off another major upset as they did on matchday one, but that naturally will be much easier said than done.
Spain kicked off their campaign with a roaring start as Luis Enrique’s men came out blazing as they cruised to a 7-0 win over a hapless Costa Rica side. While they weren’t able to pick up maximum points against Germany, La Roja still will likely be satisfied with that result as they will definitely fancy their chances against a Japan side who have yet to really find their footing so far in Qatar.
In addition, Spain, who are determined to reestablish themselves on the world stage after disappointing at the 2014 World Cup, have not lost to an Asian side in this competition since 2002. Since losing to South Korea on spot kicks 20 years ago, they have avoided defeat in their last five encounters against teams from Asia, and more significant, have a strong track record in their third group stage matches, with eight wins out of their last nine.
A point would suffice for Spain, but they certainly will not be leaving anything to chance, especially if Costa Rica manage to beat Germany in the other match being played simultaneously. Will they avoid a slip-up against a Japan side who have proven to be somewhat of an enigma so far?
