Japan vs Bolivia prediction, H2H and probable lineups - November 18, 2025
One of the international friendlies will take place on Tuesday at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium, where the Japan national team will host Bolivia. Here’s my pick for this match, with strong odds for success.
Match preview
Japan continues its preparations for the 2026 World Cup. After a dominant qualifying campaign—finishing top of their group—they’re now playing their sixth friendly. In these friendlies, Japan has suffered just one defeat, falling to the United States (0-2), while picking up two wins (against Brazil and Ghana) and drawing with Mexico and Paraguay.
In qualifying, Hajime Moriyasu’s side was in complete control: over ten matches, the Samurai Blue scored 30 goals and conceded just 3. Their only defeat came in the penultimate round, a narrow 0-1 loss to Australia.
Bolivia finished their qualification campaign in seventh place. That wasn’t enough for direct World Cup entry, but it did earn them a playoff spot and a shot at the tournament. In a dramatic final round, Bolivia stunned Brazil with a sensational win despite having slim odds.
This encounter with Japan will be Bolivia’s fourth friendly since the start of October. During this stretch, they’ve managed just one victory—over Jordan (1-0)—before losing to Russia (0-3) and South Korea (0-2).
Match facts and head-to-head
- Japan is unbeaten in their last three matches.
- Five of Japan’s last seven matches have seen under three goals scored.
- Six of Bolivia’s last eight games have featured fewer than three goals.
- The teams have met just once before—a friendly in 2019—which Japan won by the narrowest of margins, 1-0.
Probable lineups
- Japan: Hayakawa - Watanabe, Taniguchi, Suzuki - Doan, Sano, Tanaka, Nakamura - Kubo, Minamino, Ueda
- Bolivia: Viscarra - Medina, Torrez, Arroyo, Fernández - Cuellar, Villaroel, Villamil - Miguelito, Nava, Monteiro
Prediction
Recent games for both Japan and Bolivia have not featured many goals—a trend especially evident in friendlies, where the result takes a back seat to tactical experimentation. The main objective is to give the coaches a chance to test new systems and combinations. I expect a similar scenario here, so my prediction is under 3.5 goals.
