The first of three more World Cup matches on Tuesday begins with the Group H opener played out when Colombia take on Japan in what should be an entertaining encounter in Saransk as we head towards the conclusion of the opening round of games.
These two sides met in the group stage in Brazil four years ago when Colombia prevailed 4-1 and it will be interesting to see which of the two have improved or regressed since then. As ever both teams will be looking for a positive beginning to their campaign.
Colombia
The Colombians turned out to be the talking point of the tournament in Brazil four years ago. They looked like they were going the course and distance until they ran into the hosts in the quarter final but they have a nice draw here and will be looking to better that outcome this time around. Falcao was injured for the last World Cup and with him here the South Americans will certainly fancy their chances.
There is a lot of pace and trickery in this Colombia attack and like most South American sides they have a focal point to link things up. I like the variety of options at their disposal but I do wonder as we go deeper into the tournament if their defence will hold up. I think four years ago was the optimum time for them so they will need to prove me wrong.
Japan
I think this is a big tournament for the Japanese. We are just towards the end of the generation which was inspired by Japan hosting this tournament 16 years ago and with that we might be coming to the end of their successful spell as a nation. I certainly don’t think they are a better side than they were a few years ago.
As with most of the Asian sides in this tournament Japan struggle to score goals although you would probably argue their forward line is their strength on paper. The problem is a lack of a physical element to their play and that counts against them defensively too where they can be opened far too easily at times.
Team News
It appears as though James Rodriguez has been passed fit to play in this match after there were concerns over a previous injury. Johan Mojica is set to make his competitive debut for Colombia.
Leicester City forward Shinji Okazaki is set to miss out with a calf problem which could leave Yuya Osako leading the line for the Japanese. There is talk that Keisuke Honda could be left out but that would be a big call.
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Betting
I fear a little bit for Japan here. Some sides in this tournament when up against superior teams have been able to offer a defensive solidity to at least try and repel the opposition but I’m not sure Japan can do that so they might be relying on Colombia to have an off day which could be a big ask.
Colombia might need to grow into the tournament but I think they will have enough about them to win this match. It will be interesting to see if they look to counter attack or whether they will take the game to the Japanese but however they choose to approach it I think they are the better team and expect them to show it and if they score early I can see them building on the margin of victory.
Tips
Back Colombia to beat Japan for a 4/10 stake at 1.74 with TLCBet
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Back Colombia (-1) to beat Japan for a 2/10 stake at 3.30 with Betfair
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