Japan vs Mali Prediction: Japan are in hot form

Stade Matmut-Atlantique will host the Olympic Football Game between Japan and Mali. Japan have the better-winning chances here. Can Mali secure their first win in this year's tournament?

Japan started their Olympics in fashion, getting five past Paraguay in the opener. In that game, Japan scored just one goal in the first half, with Shunuke Mito giving them the lead. However, this team ran riot in the second half, with Shunuke Mito scoring his second of the day in the 63rd minute, while Shota Fujio scored a brace in the last ten minutes of the game, and Rihito Yamamoto also got on the scoresheet. Heading into this game, Japan have the most goals scored by any side in this tournament so far. They are also seated at the top of the Group D standings. 

Mali were able to pick a point in their opening game encounter and will head into this game with more positivity. In that encounter, this team held Paraguay to a goalless draw at halftime. However, Hamidou Diallo's own goal in the 56th minute gave their opponent the lead, but Cheickna Doumbia leveled the scores for his side just seven minutes later. Heading into this game, Mali will hope they make it out of the group stage, having made the quarterfinals in their last Olympics in 2024.

Japan showed how confident and hungry they are in their opener, and we can only expect more from them. Mali, on the other hand, struggled against Israel but was decent to avoid a defeat. While I think the two teams could have some offensive work to do, I believe that Japan have a more organized squad and have shown what they can do, and I am backing them to win in a game that should end with goals.