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Japan host Saudi Arabia at the Saitama Stadium on Tuesday in a crucial fixture of the Asian 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The hosts are in second place in the Group B standings while Saudi Arabia are the group leaders with a four-point lead over Japan. A win for the visiting side would almost guarantee them a spot in the finals, as they would need to earn just one point from their remaining two games.
Australia are hot on the heels of Japan and trail them by just one point, so it is a must-win game for them as well. They resumed their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over China on Thursday while Saudi Arabia overcame Oman 1-0.
Japan vs Saudi Arabia Head-to-Head
The two sides have gone head-to-head 17 times across all competitions. All but one fixture has produced a conclusive result, with Japan leading 10-6 in wins.
They last squared off in the reverse fixture of this qualifying campaign in September. The Falcons secured a 1-0 win thanks to Firas Al-Buraikan's 71st-minute goal.
Japan form guide (World Cup qualifiers): W-W-W-W-L
Saudi Arabia form guide (all competitions): W-L-D-L-W
Japan vs Saudi Arabia Team News
Japan
The Samurai Blues have a 23-man squad for the game against Saudi Arabia, with the injured Takehiro Tomiyasu replaced by Shinnosuke Nakatani.
Injury: Takehiro Tomiyasu
Suspension: None
Saudi Arabia
The visiting side head into the game without Zaid Al-Bawardi, Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Salman Al-Faraj. In the absence of Al-Faraj, they struggled against Oman and will be looking to solidify their midfield in this game.
Injuries: Zaid Al-Bawardi, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Salman Al-Faraj
Suspension: None
Japan vs Saudi Arabia Predicted XI
Japan Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Shūichi Gonda; Yuto Nagatomo, Yuta Nakayama, Naomichi Ueda, Hiroki Sakai; Wataru Endo; Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Takumi Minamino, Junya Ito; Yuya Osako
Saudi Arabia Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Mohammed Al-Owais; Sultan Al-Ghanam, Abdulelah Ali Awadh Al-Amri, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Yasser Al-Shahrani; Mohamed Kanno, Abdulellah Al-Malki; Fahad Al-Muwallad, Sami Al-Najei, Salem Al-Dawsari; Firas Al-Buraikan
Japan vs Saudi Arabia Prediction
Japan looked solid in their game against China and the fact they will be playing again at the same venue as they did on Thursday gives them an advantage. Saudi Arabia have made a long journey from Jeddah to Saitama, which might impact their performance here.
We predict the game will end in a narrow win for the home side.
Prediction: Japan 2-1 Saudi Arabia
