japan

Japan V South Korea

International Friendly
Monday, 24th May – 11:15 GMT
Live coverage can be found by logging into your Bet365 account.

It’s an all Asian battle tomorrow, as two bitter foes clash ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa next month. Japan, whom suffered a bitter tasting 3-1 defeat to South Korea in the Asian Championships, not the European equivalent to the UEFA European Championships, back in February earlier this year. So revenge will be in order as the Japanese provide travellers South Korea with a hostile reception despite Monday’s encounter being a mere friendly.

Japan

It’s been a turbulent 2010 for Japan, whom after cruising through qualification and into the first African World Cup without too much fuss, have endured a frustrating build up ahead of the finals in June. Japan coach Takeshi Okada will demand a committed performance from his team tomorrow with Japan’s first World Cup clash with Cameroon on June 14th in mind. 2010 has, however, been somewhat of a year to forget thus far, although that can easily corrected with some hard work in South Africa in a few weeks time.

At the beginning of the year, Japan partook in the East Asian Championship were all they could muster was one win from three games, with that solitary success coming against a less than ordinary Hong Kong. The defeat of Hong Kong in February remains one of only two victories Japan have tasted this year, with the other coming in an Asian Cup Qualifier against Bahrain back in March, with Okada’s men finishing as 2-0 winners. It was, however, a little over a month ago that Japan endured one of their more embarrassing friendly losses when succumbing to a 3-0 defeat against a Serbia team consisting of mainly fringe players and no European stars. It was a defeat which may well have scarred some of the Japan players mentally but it’s a defeat they must and could get out of their system against South Korea tomorrow, aiding their South Africa transition in the process.

It was only last week that Japan coach Takeshi Okada made some audacious claims that Japan were targeting a semi-final finish, what would be Japan’s personal best in a World Cup should they defy the odds in South Africa next month. Okada made some bold claims and raised both the expectations levels back home as well as increasing the pressure levels within his own camp. On Monday, Japan will be put to the test against another Asian team heading to the finals next month, and after a troublesome 2010, it remains to be seen as to whether Japan will head to South Africa with some positive aurora.

South Korea

I’m sure a large number of you will remember the 2002 World Cup finals which were held in Korea and Japan, where South Korea embarked on a momentus journey into the semi-finals only to be refused final participation by the Golden Goal rule at the expense of Italy. A worldwide renowned Guus Hiddink was at the helm in 2002, Huh Jung-Moo grasped the opportunity to fill Hiddink’s huge shoes and began well, guding South Korea, or Korea Republic, to the 2010 finals in South Africa with an air of confidence, thus ensuring the country would participate in their seventh consecutive World Cup finals.

South Korea were remarkably clinical during qualifying, often winning their qualifiers by the odd goal, butit’s the sheer fact the country will be making their seventh successive appearance in the finals which will install a great deal of confidence and honour into the Korean team ahead of a big summer of football for the country. They started the year with a sour note however, finishing as the runners-up in the East Asian Championships, after losing to China in the final after earlier beating Japan 3-1. Jung-Moo didn’t allow his players to get down about their near miss however, as in South Korea’s next match they beat Les Elephants 2-0 out in Ivory Coast – South Korea’s most impressive pre-World Cup friendly result up till now although victory tomorrow might eclipse their Ivory Coast feat. A little over a week ago, on May 16th, South Korea despatched of Ecuador from South America in comfortable fashion, beating an improving Ecuador team 2-0 on home soil.

The Koreans have enjoyed the better football in 2010, while their two friendly victory’s in March and May will stand them in good stead ahead of this Japan tester, as well as raise the roof in regards to the confidence levels of the players. Jung-Moo will be looking for his third successive friendly success on Monday, a hat-trick of positive results, and victory against one of Korea’s biggest Asian rivals would ensure their pre-World Cup preparations remain on track, and possibly even ahead of schedule.

Match Odds:

Japan – 2.15 bWin
Draw – 3.30 Bet365
South Korea – 3.60 WilliamHill

Our Prediction: Draw (0-0)

Tomorrow’s all-Asian clash is expected to be tight and scrappy, with free-flowing football and exciting goalmouth action possibly at a premium. Neither of these two teams were especially prolific during their successful qualifying campaigns while both tend to play with an air of caution. A low scoring draw and both parties head back to camp happy.

Our Recommendation: Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.60 Bet365

Monday, 24th May

20:45 (GMT) – Argentina V Canada

09:00 (GMT) – Australia V New Zealand

20:00 (GMT) – England V Mexico

11:20 (GMT) – Japan V South Korea

19:30 (GMT) – Portugal V Cape Verde

19:35 (GMT) – South Africa V Bulgaria

Tuesday, 25th May

11:00 (GMT) – Georgia V Cameroon

11:00 (GMT) – Nigeria V Saudi Arabia

19:00 (GMT) – Greece V North Korea

19:45 (GMT) – Republic of Ireland V Paraguay

Wednesday, 26th May

01:00 (GMT) – USA V Czech Republic

19:00 (GMT) – Netherlands V Mexico

20:00 (GMT) – France V Costa Rica

23:00 (GMT) – Uruguay V Israel

Thursday, 27th May

19:15 (GMT) – Denmark V Senegal

19:35 (GMT) – South Africa V Colombia

Monday will be an eventful day, as no less than nine countries featuring in next month’s FIFA World Cup are in action. Undoubtedly, the most attractive fixture on paper is the Mexican’s travelling to England to take on Capello’s Three Lions. The Aussies clash with the Kiwi’s is another interesting match-up between two nations only a decade ago were considered minnows of international football, while some would even argue that New Zealand are still branded as a small nation in terms of the sport. Those looking to do their homework ahead of the finals should perhaps take time out to watch the Japan – South Korea game, two Asian contingents aiming to surprise a fair few in South Africa.

On Tuesday North Korea take on the 2004 UEFA European Championship winners Greece in a game which, if everyone was completely honest, sees two nations with very little chance of lifting the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. However. The Greeks will feel they have every chance of progressing past the group stage, while North Korea’s main objective will be to not walk away from South Africa pointless. A little later and one of the South American dark horses, Paraguay, speed up their preparations with an away encounter with a Republic of Ireland team which will consider themselves rather unluckily not to have made the finals. Two African contingents hoping to be the first African team to win a World Cup will also be in action on Tuesday, as Nigeria take on Saudi Arabia from Asia, and Cameroon take on Georgia from Europe.

Wednesday’s games start with the USA V Czech Republic, as Bob Bradley’s USA host a Czech Republic side who honestly feel they should of made the finals but have their lacklustre qualifying campaign to thank for their misfortune. The US will take on England in their first World Cup encounter, so will want to boost their chances of progression from Group C by building some winning momentum with these friendlies. Late in the evening, Holland take on Mexico, as two teams heading to South Africa weigh each other up, getting a first-hand view of how one-another will fare in South Africa. France will take on CONCAFAF team Costa Rica, who narrowly missed the finals because of a late USA goal in qualifying, and South American’s Uruguay clash with Israel in the day’s final game.

And on Thursday, the Danes test their wits against the dangerous Senegal from Africa. Premier League followers can expect to see both Nicklas Bentner and Daniel Agger in action, while El Hadj Diouf may make an appearance for Senegal. Just a little later and the hosts, South Africa, take on South American’s Colombia. The pressure is well and truly on the hosts to perform on home soil, so a big performance against the Colombians would do the confidence within camp a world of good.

Whereas most coaches heading to South Africa are still digesting some domestic performances, and weighing up some tough decisions as to who deserves to go to South Africa with their respective team, Japan coach Takeshi Okada has already named a 23-man strong squad ahead of the finals, claiming the 23 named are ready to carry the flag and hopes of Japan into South Africa.

For even the most hardened of punter, the vast majoirty of the Japan squad will seemingly appear like an anagram but there are a select few which may just ring a few bells. Former Celtic favourite, Shunsuke Nakamura, will be fondly remembered for his time spent in the Scottish Premier League and a short spell in the Spanish La Liga with Espanyol, while Junichi Inamota has been around the European block and then some, enjoying stints with Arsenal, Fulham, Cardiff City, West Bromwich Albion and Galatasaray amongst others.

From a European perspective, CSKA’s Keisuke Honda was at the heart of the Moscow sides Champions League success in the 2009-2010 campaign which seen them reach the quarter-finals. Makota Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble) and Takayuki Morimoto (Catania) all ply their trade in Europe without initially springing to mind.

Japan have appeared in three World Cup’s previously, with South Africa 2010 set to be their fourth. Their previous best, however, was just a Round of 16 appearance back in Korea/Japan in 2002. Okada, though, will be looking to better the efforts of the 2002 team in South Africa, saying the Semi-Final’s are Japan’s objective.

Japan will kick-off their South Africa journey against Cameroon on June 14th, while games with Holland and Denmark will follow as Japan aim to bypass a competitive Group E.

Japan 23-man Squad:

Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki, Eiji Kawashima, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi

Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yuichi Komano, Daiki Iwamasa, Yasuyuki Konno, Yuto Nagatomo, Atsuto Uchida

Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura, Junichi Inamoto, Yasuhito Endo, Kengo Nakamura, Daisuke Matsui, Yuki Abe, Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda

Forwards: Keiji Tamada, Yoshito Okubo, Kisho Yano, Shinji Okazaki, Takayuki Morimoto

It’s been no real big suprise, but England have confirmed the bookings of two friendlies before the World Cup, both of which will take place at the end of May. After successfully coming from behind to beat tough African Cup of Nations Champions Egypt, England now have to wait almost three months until they get back into action again. The friendly against Egypt was a stern test for Fabio Capello, and provided a little insight into what may happen if the likes of Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand aren’t fit on time. The English side looked a little disjointed, especially in the midfield, with none of the starting midfielders in any kind of form for their clubs. Showing his tactical nous once again, boss Capello turned the match around with substitutions that helped the home side come from behind in front of the Wembley crowd.

How much this will have helped Capello with regards to fine tuning his final squad to be named on June 1, remains to be seen, but certainly Peter Crouch, who hit the back of the net twice, did himself no harm at all. Capello has said that he will be unlikely to take players who are not playing regularly for their clubs, and that is the situation in which Crouch finds himself. His record for England though, speaks for itself, and with Defoe and Rooney failing to have scored a goal between them when they have started for England, there are questions over Defoe’s value as main strike partner.

The next friendly for England will be against Mexico, followed by Japan as part of England’s pre-tournament preparations at a training camp in Austria. The fixture against Mexico should be around May 23rd, with the Japan game on May 30th. The other important dates to watch out for during England’s build up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is May 17 (the day after the FA Cup final) when the England boss name his provisional squad ahead of the two friendly matches. England head to the first training camp in Austria on May 18th. There is also the small matter of the Champions Legue final on May 22, which some of England’s key players could be a part of, and that being the case, they would join up with the squad later.

Capello looks to be meticulous in his preparations, and is preparing his squad the way he wants to. He has hand picked the friendly matches, and the training camps in Austria will allow the players to train in higher altitudes, similar to what they will find in South Africa. England’s first World Cup match in June 12th against the USA in Rustenburg, which is where England will be based for their length of stay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Current World Cup Outright Odds
Spain: 9/2 at Bet365
Brazil: 5/1 at Blue Square
England: 6/1 at Bwin
Argentina: 21/2 at BetFair
Italy: 13/1 at Expekt
 

Confirmed 2010 World Cup Participants

Australia

Brazil

Ghana

Japan

Netherlands

North Korea

South Africa

South Korea

Teams on verge of qualification

England

Ivory Coast

Denmark

Spain

Bahrain/Saudi Arabia/New Zealand

Brazil and Ghana became the newest members to join the 2010 World Cup club. Brazil’s 3-1 romp in Argentina on Saturday night was enough to earn them a spot in South Africa and become the first South American nation to qualify for South Africa.

Ghana became the very first South African country to confirm it’s appearance in the forthcoming finals, apart from the hosts themselves – South Africa. Ghana, accompanied by captain Michael Essien, beat Sudan 2-0 on Sunday to confirm their status as winners of Group D in the African qualifying zone.

Asian qualifying has all but been finalised although there is still a few matches before we fully know if a fifth Asian country will make the fold. Bahrain & Saudi Arabia (Both Asian contingents) have yet to finish their two-legged play-off with the reward being another play-off showdown with New Zealand (Oceania contingent) with the prize for being victorious over two-legs a ticket to South Africa.

The Netherlands, for the time being, are the only nation to have qualified for the 2010 World Cup after strolling to qualification in the smallest of nine groups, Group 9, which has just five countries competing. However, they could soon be joined by both England & Spain who, with victories in midweek, will earn their rightful place in South Africa by topping their respective groups.

Ivory Coast routed Burkina Faso on Sunday, a result which leaves them on the cusp of securing a place in South Africa. A single point from their remaining two games is all that’s needed for them to confirm their spot in the World Cup finals.

2010 World Cup South Africa – Updated Outright Odds

Brazil – 5/1 StanJames

Spain – 5/1 Ladbrokes

England – 8/1 WilliamHill

Argentina – 8/1 SkyBet

Germany – 12/1 Bet365

Netherlands – 12/1 BetFred

Italy – 14/1 VictorChandler

France – 22/1 totesport

Russia – 33/1 SkyBet

40/1 Bar the rest

Early qualification for Brazil has seen them share favouritism with European champions – Spain. England‘s impressive run in Group 6 (European Sector) hasn’t gone unnoticed with The Three Lions now a best price of 8/1. Despite a disastrous result at the weekend, Argentina remain a frontrunner, according to the bookies anyway, with Diego Maradona’s side still an 8/1 shot to qualify and go all the way in South Africa.

The consistent German‘s look a very good E/W bet at 12/1 although they do still face a two-way tussle for supremacy in Group 4 (European Sector) with 33/1 shots, Russia. Two nations who are always there or thereabouts; Netherlands & Italy, are both double-figure prices with the Dutch at 12/1 via early qualification and the Italians at 14/1.

France are struggling to even make the cut in Group 7 (European Sector) and this shows in the bookies evaluation of their chances of winning the crown in South Africa by pricing Henry & Co up at a huge 22/1.

As you can see, Europe dominates the market with just two nations breaking into equation as far as the bookies are concerned. Going by their performances in qualifying, England look the team to be on right now. They’re playing out of their skin at the moment and are just a solitary victory away from confirming their spot in South Africa.

As far as value goes, Germany look a stunning price at 12/1. They are very inconsistent and even if they were to lose out on a top spot finish in their group, which is still unlikely, you would still fancy their chances against any of the potential play-off candidates.

Host(s): South Korea & Japan
Winners: Brazil
Runners-up: Germany
Third Place: Turkey
Fourth Place: South Korea
Top Goalscorer: Ronaldo (Brazil) – 8 Goals
Participants: 32 (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Uruguay)

The World Cup saw a first as two nations combined their resources to hold a two-nation World Cup with the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea & Japan.  It was also the first World Cup to be held on the Asian continent.

The final saw two familiar foes although it was the first time West Germany and Brazil had battled it out in a final of a World Cup. However, it was the Brazilians who came out victorious winning 2-0 in Yokohama.

South Korea & Japan automatically qualified by virtue of being hosts but France were also granted a berth into the finals as defending champions but that rule was soon scraped after the finals.

A unique factor about these finals was that all previous seven winners of the World Cup all qualified for South Korea & Japan 2002. The first time that so many champions had appeared in a major competition with Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy and Uruguay all competing for the World Cup crown.

Four new nations qualified for the Asian World Cup with Chile & Ecuador qualifying from South America while Senegal qualified as an African contingent and Slovenia from Europe.

The defending champions didn’t get off to the best of starts as they lost their opening match against Senegal. This was arguably the shock of the tournament and set the way for what would be a surprising tournament filled with overachieving nations. Brazil and Germany may have competed for the World Cup title itself in the final but Turkey and South Korea were vying for a third-place finish with very few predicting that.

Brazilian sensation Ronaldo set the tournament a lite with his eight goals and help guide Brazil to their fifth World Cup title. Ronaldo’s two goals in the final was evidence of this.

Final:

Brazil 2 – 0 Germany – Yokohama International Stadium ~ 69,029 Attendance

Goalscorers:

Brazil – Ronaldo x2
Germany –

Third Place Play-Off:

South Korea 2 – 3 Turkey

Goalscorers:

South Korea – Lee Eul-Yong, Song Chong-Gug
Turkey – Hakan, Ilhan x2

Manager: Takeshi Okada
Captain: Yuji Nakazawa
FIFA Ranking: 45
World Cup appearances: 3 – 1998, 2002, 2006
Best World Cup: Last Sixteen – 2002

Japan Team Profile

Japan have been a force to be reckoned with in Asia over the past decade of so. They’ve won three AFC Asian Cup’s with their most recent success coming in 2004. However, age is catching up with some of their more recognised players and the Japanese squad will be somewhat of an unknown quantity with a mix of youth and experience in the squad.

Japan came through qualification fairly comfortably in the end although manager Takeshi Okada will be disappointed with the number of draws his side had to endure on home soil. All three of their draws in qualification came in Japan but that will be seen as a minor technicality now that they’ve qualified for the world cup in South Africa, while playing on opposition soil might actually play into their hands if their qualifying record is anything to go by. Three of their four victory’s in qualification came away from home so the pressure of entertaining the large number of home supporters won’t be a burden in South Africa.

Manager

Takeshi Okada is a former Japan international himself so it was only natural for him that he would one day take over the reigns on the international front. He played 24 times for his country scoring just the one goal between 1980-1985. This will be Okada’s second stint as Japan manager after leading them to the 1998 World Cup in France where they finished bottom of group H without a single point to their name.

Takeshi Okada‘s second appointment as manager came via a bit of misfortune as former manager Ivica Osim suffered a stroke which led to those in charge having to find a suitable replacement. That replacement was indeed Takeshi Okada and after taking over in December 2007, he has led Japan to their fourth World Cup.

Japan Key Players

The key player for Japan will be former Glasgow Rangers ace, now Espanyol star, Shunsuke Nakamura. He has bags of European experience from his time with Rangers, enjoying several seasons in the Champions League and pitting his wits against some of Europe’s finest. Unlike most in the Japan squad, Nakamura will know exactly what to expect from some of their opponents in South Africa thanks to some valuable Champions League ties.

Keisuke Honda, who in 2009 signed for Russian giants CSKA Moscow, is another player with talent, a star in the making if you’re to believe the hype. Again, we seen a lot of Honda during last seasons Champions League campaign, of which Honda played a big role in getting CSKA into the quarter-finals against all odds. In fairness, though, he didn’t really do it for us, although he’s energetic and ambitious so it’s easy to see why the Japanese expect big things from him.

A player we know nothing at all about, but looks an integral part of the Japanese set up, is Yuri Nakazawa, a player with 102 international caps to his name and a player who participated in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup for Japan. It goes without saying that his experience in the heart of the Japan defence will aid them well over the summer in what will be testing surroundings for Japan.

Japan Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: Asia
Group: 1
Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 4-3-1
Goals Scored: 11
Goals Conceded: 6

World Cup Potential: 1/5

The Japanese have never really had a team to be reckoned with, at least not outside of the Asian continent. In Asia though, Japan have the been the leading player, winning three of the previous five editions of the Asian Championships, but have seemingly failed to produce the standard needed against teams from all across the globe. Their squad isn’t really recognisable to us, with many applying their trade over in Japan in a J league which is steadily growing in terms of global following and the fan base back home in Japan. However, we seen quite a bit of them during qualifying and they were nothing special. What was extremely concerning was their lack of physical strength, so they may struggle to hold their own in South Africa against some physically tough and well equipped nations.

Japan World Cup Betting Odds

Japan to win the World Cup:         250/1 – Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on Japan were 400/1 

Official Japan World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus)

Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale)

Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)

Defenders

Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F. Marinos)

Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus)

Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata)

Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers)

Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo)

Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo)

Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfielders

Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F. Marinos)

Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale)

Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka)

Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale)

Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble)

Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds)

Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg)

Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow)

Strikers

Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus)

Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe)

Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata)

Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse)

Takayuki Morimoto (Catania)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Japan Fixtures – Group E

29/06 – 15.00 – Round of the last 16: Japan – Paraguay: 3-5 pen.

World Cup Group E - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Japan

Asia

Qualified Teams

Group 1: Australia, Japan

Group 2: South Korea, North Korea

Qualification Play-off

05/09/2009 – Bahrain V Saudi Arabia
09/09/2009 – Saudi Arabia V Bahrain

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will compete in a two-legged play-off, with the winner advancing to face New Zealand for a place at South Africa 2010.

Saudi Arabia will be the bookies favourite in this two-legged play-off for several reasons. They have an obvious World Cup pedigree after qualifying for the previous four World Cup’s. They also notched up more points in what was a tougher group. Bahrain also failed to beat Japan and Australia in Group 1 who were the only decent sides in that group. However, Saudi Arabia’s results were hardly impressive either with draws being their more common final result.

This should be a close affair over two legs but if one side can manage to secure a good result away from home, they would become to obvious favourite to progress further and play New Zealand in a World Cup qualification showdown.

Group 1

Australia cruised to qualification in group 1 and remained unbeaten throughout. They finished with 20 points from a maximum of 24 which is an outstanding feat and one that should leave the players full of confidence as they prepare to do battle at South Africa next year. Qatar and Japan were the only sides to have taken points away from the Australians with both games being away from Australian soil. The ‘Aussies’ won all four of their home fixtures and sealed qualification with several games to spare.

Japan nailed down a second place finish and can now look ahead to next year in Africa. They finished five points ahead of third place Bahrain, who will now have to play a play-off match with Saudi Arabia for the one remaining qualification spot. Bahrain had to hold off the competition of Qatar and Uzbekistan for that play-off spot but did so with ease in the end, finishing four points above Qatar who ended the campaign in fourth, one place shy of the play-off’s.

Group 2

The second group was a lot closer to call with no side really dominating the group. Despite a faltering end to the campaign, South Korea did finish the group as top dog with 16 points. They were four points clear of rivals North Korea who scraped into the final automatic qualification spot via goal difference.

Every side took points off one another at one stage or another and this showed in the final point tallies. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran narrowly missed out on that final automatic spot with Saudi Arabia losing out on virtue of goal difference and Iran were a point short of both. However, the big difference is that Saudi Arabia did just enough to book a play-off showdown with Bahrain. Iran will now go home empty handed although at least they faired a lot better then the United Arab Emirates who finished the group in fifth with just the solitary point to their name.