Belgium vs Japan FIFA World Cup 2018 – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 2 July 2018

Will Belgium continue with their impressive winning streak at the World Cup? Undisputed Belgium will be opening their Round of 16 stage match against Japan. Japan who squeezed themselves through after a controversial tiebreaker with Senegal. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, a team advanced on the fair play tiebreaker.

Belgium Probable Lineups and Stats

Nicknamed “The Red Devils”, Belgium made their 13th appearance at the World Cup. Led by Roberto Martinez Montoliu, who has been Belgium’s coach since 2016. Playing a unique 3-4-2-1 formation, the 11 man squad is made up of forwards; Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, midfielders; Ferreira Carrasco, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Thomas Meunier, defenders; Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium’s opening match at the 2018 World Cup was against Panama and they gave an excellent performance, winning 3-0. They had a ball possession of 62% and total shots of 15, with 6 being on target. Belgium staged an incredible performance against Tunisia as well, a game they won 5-2. Roberto’s side delivered a masterclass game and discipline, as they were not booked by the referee. Belgium had ball possession of 51% and a total of 23 shots with 12 on target. The game against England was one of the most anticipated matches at the 3rd round of the World Cup. Belgium won the game 1-0, with ball possession of 49%, they had total shots of 14 with 4 of them being on target.

Japan Probable Lineups and Stats

The Samurai Blue led by Akira Nishino made their 6th appearance at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. This World Cup marking the 3rd time they made it to the Round 16 stage of the world’s most viewed tournament. The Japanese team is made of Yuya Osako, Shinji Kagawa, Takashi Inui, Genki Haraguchi, Makoto Hasebe, Gaku Shibasaki, Yugo Nagatomo, Gen Shoji, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Sakai and Eiji Kawashima.

Japan opened the World Cup with a stunning performance against Colombia and won 2-0. Japan had a ball possession of 62%, a total of 14 shots with 6 on target. Their level of discipline was also high as they only picked one yellow card during the game. Japan’s good performance continued in their second match of the tournament, with a 2-2 draw against Africa’s, Senegal. Japan had ball possession of 57%, with 7 shots and 3 of them being on target. An early second-half lead put Poland ahead of Japan. This was Japan’s first loss at the World Cup. With ball possession of 55% and a total of 10 shots with 3 on target.

Belgium v Japan – Head to Head

Belgium has faced Japan 5 times the most recent being November 2017 which ended 1-0 in favour of Belgium. The other 4 times ended with 2 draws and 2 wins for Japan. Both teams last met in the World Cup in 2002 and the match ended with a 2-2 draw.

Expert Tip

Belgium is so far unbeaten at the tournament, after getting all the possible 9 points in the Group Stages. They are most likely to win against Japan, with goals above 2. Due to the strong attack from both teams, there has to be a good number of corners, at least 10, with most likely no red cards and at least 2 yellow cards. Being a knockout stage match, there must be a winner. Making it a must-watch.

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