Jason Collins
Dailysports's expert
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World Cup Qualifier: Indonesia vs. Japan – Can the Underdogs Pull Off a Surprise?
Indonesia
Indonesia has had a challenging qualification campaign so far, with three draws and one loss, making them the only team yet to secure a win in their group. In their most recent match, they narrowly lost 1-2 away to China, despite arguably playing a stronger game and missing chances to secure a point.
Currently sitting at the bottom of the group, Indonesia hasn’t been without resilience, as evidenced by their 0-0 draw at home against a strong Australia side. With similar performances, they could still aim for a top-4 finish, as they’re only three points behind with a game in hand.
Japan
Japan has been dominant in the qualifiers, leading the group with 10 points from four games, four points clear of their nearest rival, with a game in hand. In their last outing, they drew 1-1 at home against Australia, despite controlling most of the game. Before that, they had a perfect run with three wins and hadn’t conceded a goal.
With their current form, Japan is on track to secure early qualification, taking advantage of rivals’ dropped points. This recent draw was the first time they conceded in this stage, showing their solid defense and efficiency upfront.
Probable Lineups
- Indonesia: Pas, Pattinama, Verdonk, Idom, Hilgers, Mangkualam, Orahman, Jenner, Witan, Struik.
- Japan: Suzuki, Itakura, Taniguchi, Machida, Doan, Tanaka, Morita, Mitoma, Minamino, Kubo, Ueda.
Match Facts
- Indonesia has played only one home game in this stage, where they held Australia to a 0-0 draw.
- Japan has won both of their away games so far in these qualifiers.
- Odds: Indonesia (9.7), Draw (5.3), Japan (1.29)
Head-to-Head
The teams last met this year during the Asian Cup, where Japan comfortably won 3-1.
Prediction
Japan is the clear favorite, but I expect Indonesia to put up a strong fight, especially on home ground. Although Japan will likely dominate the play, Indonesia has the potential to make it a challenging match. I recommend a bet on Indonesia with a +1.5 goal handicap for a competitive, closer-than-expected game.
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