Prediction World Cup Qualifying - Japan vs North Korea

World Cup Qualifying - Japan vs North Korea
Match Time: 21-03-2024 18:20 Thursday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Japan

Japan went into the recent Asian Cup with high hopes of winning the competition, attempting to end a 12-year wait since their last success, but a disappointing quarter-final exit soon followed.

A group-stage defeat to Iraq indicated that the Samurai Blue may not necessarily be firing on all cylinders, or the fact that they conceded three goals in games against Vietnam and Indonesia.

In the last eight, they faced an impressive Iran side who managed to overturn a first-half deficit courtesy of a last-gasp penalty, ending the hopes of Hajime Moriyasu's side.

On a plus note, they are able to quickly turn their focus back to AFC World Cup qualifying action, where Japan already have a stranglehold of Group B.

North Korea

Successive 5-0 victories have been recorded over Myanmar and Syria, and overcoming North Korea on Thursday would effectively put Japan on the brink of advancing to the next stage.

Having spent so long in the international wilderness, there was a curiosity as to how North Korea would perform when participating at this stage.

The 1-0 defeat to Syria was a disappointment, albeit not a complete surprise, but bouncing back with a 6-1 triumph in Myanmar has kick-started their efforts to join Japan in the next phase.

Sin Yong-nam will certainly not be getting carried away, particularly when their next two fixtures are a double-header against Japan with a quick turnaround.

Nevertheless, they will relish the opportunity to renew acquaintances with opponents that they last faced in 2017, Japan running out 1-0 winners on that occasion.

Prediction: Japan 3-0 North Korea