China vs Japan Prediction, Preview, Team News, and Lineups | FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, November 19, 2024

China vs Japan Preview

• Tournament: 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
• Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
• Time: 12 pm GMT
• Venue: Xiamen Egret Stadium

China will host Japan at the Xiamen Egret Stadium in a crucial clash for them in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Asia. Both sides have been in slightly contrasting form in the qualifiers so far and with just five games remaining, every point is important.

Japan currently sit at the top of Group C with 13 points in five games. They have won four games and have drawn one so far. With them sitting seven points above second-placed Australia and third-placed Saudi Arabia, Japan are in good stead for qualification for the next round.

China, meanwhile, are fourth in the table and also have six points, the same as Australia and Saudi Arabia. They have lost three and won two of their matches so far. They are just one point above Bahrain and three above Indonesia. Hence, with the group being so tight, every game is important for all sides, especially the ones below Japan.

China National Football Team News

China will have all of their players available for the clash against Japan.

Japan National Football Team News

Japan will also have all players available for the clash.

Predicted Lineups

China national football team predicted lineup (4-3-1-2):

Goalkeeper: Dalei Wang

Defenders: Lei Li, Chenjie Zhu, Shenglong Jiang, Zexiang Yang

Midfielders: Liangming Lin, Shangyuan Wang, Yuanyi Li, Shihao Wei

Attackers: Wu Lei, Yuning Zhang

Japan national football team predicted lineup (3-4-2-1):

Goalkeeper: Zion Suzuki

Defenders: Daiki Hashioka, Koki Machida, Ko Itakura

Midfielders: Kaoru Mitoma, Hidemasa Morita, Wataru Endo, Ritsu Doan

Attackers: Daichi Kamada, Koki Ogawa, Takumi Minamino

China vs Japan H2H Record

In their previous seven meetings, Japan have beaten China five times while the remaining two matches ended in a draw.

Last 5 results:

Also Read: Bahrain vs Australia Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | AFC World Cup Qualifiers, November 19, 2024

Key Players to watch in China vs Japan

Wu Lei

Widely regarded as one of the best Chinese players of this generation, Wu Lei plays as a forward. The 32-year-old forward has scored 37 goals and provided 10 assists in 101 outings for China so far. He also captains the side.

Lei missed last month’s internationals and will be keen to make an impact this time around, especially with the side in need of points. At the club level, he plays for SH Port but has also plied his trade previously for Spanish side Espanyol.

Kaoru Mitoma

Japan’s squad is full of stars who play for some top clubs across Europe. One of them is Kaoru Mitoma, who has made a name for himself at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. He has scored 14 goals and provided 15 assists in 79 games for the Seagulls so far.

He has been slightly out of form this season though, registering just one goal and two assists in 12 games across competitions.

For Japan, meanwhile, Mitoma has scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 25 games. He’s also contributed one goal and three assists in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers so far.

China vs Japan Prediction

With Group C of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Asia so tight, every point is important. Japan currently lead the group and are likely to qualify for the next round. However, they would be wary of avoiding any slip-ups in their pursuit.

Japan last lost a match in February earlier this year as they lost 2-1 against Iran in the Asian Cup Round of 16. Since then, they have won eight of their next nine matches, drawing the other. In the World Cup Qualifiers, They have won four and drawn one. They slammed Indonesia 4-0 in their last match.

China, meanwhile, are on a two-game winning streak after a run of five games without a win. They lost four straight games in that streak but then beat Indonesia 2-1 and Bahrain 1-0 in the World Cup Qualifiers.

China are ranked 92^nd in the FIFA World Rankings while Japan are 15^th. In their last meeting in September, Japan thrashed China 7-0 and we can expect a similar dominance this time around.

Predicted Score: China 1-5 Japan

Also Read: Croatia vs Portugal Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Nations League | November 18, 2024

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