The second round of matches in Group H of the World Cup get underway after England’s match on Sunday and it does so with the two lower ranked sides in the section doing battle when Japan take on Senegal.
While they might be the lesser teams of the four they are also the two teams who picked up victories in their opening matches so they begin this one knowing whoever comes out on top will have one foot in the knockout stages.
Click the above banner to receive a £10 free bet when you place six bets of £10 or more on the World Cup!
Japan
It is a little difficult to make a proper judgement on Japan from their first match because they were playing 10 men for the better part of 87 minutes and having gone in front from the penalty that resulted from the red card they were always a step ahead of the field. That said, I wasn’t particularly impressed with how they allowed Colombia back into the game.
Credit must go to them for regaining their composure and pushing on and winning the match but there is a strong feeling in my mind that all they did was feast on tired prey. My gut instinct is that they will need a bigger effort in this match if they are to get over the line. They could do with being more clinical when their chances come along as well.
Senegal
Considering it was their first World Cup match in quite some time, Senegal settled really well in their first match and deservedly came out on top against a Poland side who lacked ideas for far too long in the game. What I really liked about Senegal was their attacking approach and their free flowing mindset which got them on the front foot and they didn’t really ever relinquish their stronghold on the game.
They will be disappointed to let Poland back in late on but in fairness it was a wonderful delivery from the free kick and a pretty good header to boot so it wasn’t like they were opened up or anything. Having watched Senegal in the past they strike me as the kind of side who will relish the opportunity in front of them and embrace it rather than go into their shell.
Team News
Japan have a couple of fitness issues over two big players. Keisuke Honda came on against Colombia but picked up a bruised thigh so he is doubtful. Shinji Okazaki came on for the final five minutes and could be considered for a starting role.
While there is the potential for Senegal to name an unchanged side after winning their first match Mame Biram Diouf was substituted after 30 minutes of the win over Poland for a chance in tactics and it could be they start with the shape they finished.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Betting
I wasn’t overly keen on Japan going into the tournament and I didn’t see a whole lot to convince me to change my mind in their opening match. I was much more appreciative of the chances of Senegal heading into the competition and while I’m effectively on them to win this match with my ‘to qualify’ bet I can’t resist a punt at the prices.
Senegal look to have plenty of options going forward and a whole host of quality in attacking areas to find the back of the net and it is that which I think Japan lack and as a result I must be with the Africans here. I don’t see Senegal making the same defensive errors that Colombia made against Japan and I certainly expect the class of the Africans going forward to dominate at times. At 13/10 I can’t resist Senegal here especially with them likely to be inspired by what Nigeria did on Friday.
Tips
Back Senegal to beat Japan for a 4/10 stake at 2.30 with Betfair
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018
