The 18th of January will witness a highly anticipated match between the Iraqi national team and their Japanese counterparts at Education City Stadium. This crucial matchday two fixture marks a battle for first place in Group D of the Asian Cup.
Match Preview:
Iraq managed to claim a 3-1 victory over Indonesia in their opening group game. The Lions of Mesopotamia responded well after Indonesia equalized, scoring a late goal in first-half stoppage time to secure their triumph.
This victory marked Iraq’s first win of the year and provided them with an excellent start to the tournament.
Iraq has demonstrated their attacking prowess in the group stage of this tournament, scoring three or more goals in three of their last four Asian Cup group games.
Jesus Casas’ side has only suffered one defeat in normal time since September, losing a friendly match against South Korea earlier this year.
Japan had a challenging opener against Vietnam, but they managed to score four goals and claim a 4-2 victory.
Over the past eleven matches, the Samurai Blue has been sensational in attack, scoring four or more goals on ten occasions, including a combined 20 in their last four games.
Japan’s coach, Hajime Moriyasu, saw a much more poised group of players in the second half of their opening match, controlling the tempo of the game. This victory extended their winning run to 11 matches in all competitions.
Team News:
In their opening match, Iraq fielded only one new face in their starting 11, with Zidane Iqbal replacing Montader Madjed.
Amir Al-Ammari reached 25 caps for the senior side, while Ibrahim Bayesh could reach 50 if he features in the next two games. Ali Adnan is now only eight caps away from reaching 100.
Mohanad Ali scored his 19th international goal for Iraq in their opening game, drawing level with Husham Mohammed for 10th all-time, and one goal behind Hawar Mulla Mohammed for ninth place.
Osama Rashid and Aymen Hussein were also on the scoresheet.
Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Kaoru Mitoma missed Japan’s opening match due to an ankle injury. However, Moriyasu expects him to be available at some point in the group stage.
Takuma Asano was also absent from their first game and remains two caps short of 50. Shogo Taniguchi is halfway towards that mark, collecting his 25th cap on Sunday.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is three away from 40, and Zion Suzuki made just his fifth appearance between the sticks.
Possible Lineups:
Iraq: (4-2-3-1)
Hassan;
H. Ali, Natiq, Adnan, Doski;
Rashid, Resan;
Bayesh, Jasim, Amyn;
M. Ali
Japan: (4-2-3-1)
Suzuki;
Sugawara, Itakura, Taniguchi, H. Ito;
Endo, Morita;
J. Ito, Minamino, Kubo;
Ueda
Prediction: Iraq 1-3 Japan
Iraq has only missed the knockout stage of this tournament once in their Asian Cup history, while Japan has triumphed in 12 straight Asian Cup group matches since the last time they failed to win a group fixture in this competition, which dates back to 2011.
Japan’s attack has been sensational over their past eleven matches, and they seem poised to continue their winning run.