Japan vs China Prediction: Japan had 100% record in last round

Japan will welcome China at Saitama Stadium in Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Japan had a 100% record in the last round and will be looking forward to starting this round with a win over their arch-rivals. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Despite Japan having won 16 out of their last 18 matches, Hajime Moriyasu and his men have found some obstacles in their way. Their defeats came in the Asian Cup and included a 2-1 defeat to Iran. However, during qualifying for the World Cup, they thrashed North Korea, Syria, and Myanmar-24 goals scored, none conceded. While that may be a low level of competition compared to those above them, they have taken the necessary lessons from their disappointment in the Asian Cup into the next challenge, which is stronger teams in Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Osako; Taniguchi, Ikatura, Machida; Doan, Endo, Tanaka, Nakamura; Kubo, Minamino; Ueda

China admits that they are the underdogs in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, considering the much stronger teams in Asia. The performances of China have yielded just three wins out of the last 14 games. The most meaningful victory was against Thailand. They scored little at the Asian Cup, with minimal success in recent matches. Still, they were gutsy in the narrow defeat against the South Koreans and might give Japan a run for their money if things go their way.

Wang.D; Yang, Zhu, Browning, Liu; Wu, Jiang, Wang.S, Xie; Fernandinho, Yuning

Japan will be forced into some changes as Takehiro Tomiyasu is unavailable for the next match, while China could stick to something similar to what defeated South Korea. Star men Wu Lei and Zhang Yuning are expected to take center-stage for China, while Japan will hope for their heavy striking to take center-stage.

This should see Japan dominate the game and keep a further clean sheet against a China side that will try to make a fist of it, yet remain the underdog.