With a place in the women's hockey Asia Cup final at stake, the Indian girls take on Japan in the last of their Super 4s pool games in Hangzhou on Saturday (September 13). Harendra Singh's team had earlier defeated South Korea 4-2 before losing to China 1-4, and is placed second in the pool.While China has booked its spot in Sunday's final, India, Korea and Japan are still in with a chance of making it to the gold-medal match.The winner of the women's hockey Asia Cup will automatically qualify for the 2026 FIH Women's World Cup to be hosted by Wavre and Amstelveen.A stunning last-minute equaliser from Navneet Kaur helped the Indians salvage a 2-2 draw against Japan when the two met in the preliminaries of the tournament last week.The hard-fought draw bucked a recent trend in which the Indians had prevailed consistently against their Asian rivals in recent times.India defeated Japan 3-0 in the pool stages of the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy before defeating the Japanese girls 2-0 for a second time in the semifinals.India also secured full points against Japan, thanks to a 2-1 win in the preliminaries of the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy, with Navneet Kaur and Sangita Kumari getting onto the scoresheet.Currently, India has 3 points from 2 matches, while both Korea and Japan have a point apiece in the ongoing Asia Cup.If Korea lose to China or splits points with the home side, a draw against Japan should be enough for the Indians to progress to the finals.Given the match schedule, India has no choice but to go for an outright win since their game against Japan precedes the last Super 4s encounter between China and Korea.A win against Sakura Japan will most certainly ensure a smooth passage for the Indians into the final of the Asia Cup, regardless of the outcome of the China-Korea game.India vs Japan, Women's Hockey Asia Cup, match detailsMatch Details: India vs Japan, Super 4s Match, Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2025Date & Time: Saturday, September 13, 2025, 2:15 PM ISTVenue: Hangzhou, ChinaIndia vs Japan: Women's Hockey Asia Cup PredictionIn what is expected to be a cracker of a contest, the Indians will need to plug the gaps in defence, while also hoping that the strikers can find goals without committing too many personnel up front. Penalty corners will be crucial for the Indians, who are likely to come up with the best available routines for the crucial encounterScore Prediction: India 3 - 1 JapanWhere to watch Women's Asia Cup 2025 matches in India?Live telecast of the Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2025 is available on the Sony Sports Ten 2 channel, and the matches will be streamed live on the Watch Hockey app.