Japan take on Turkey in an international friendly at the Cegeka Arena in Genk on Tuesday evening.
The two countries are set to square off against each other for just the second time in history, having last met in the round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup, with Turkey emerging 1-0 winners.
Match preview
© Reuters
Japan head into Tuesday's match in fantastic form, having won their last three matches, and their most recent victory was by far their most impressive, chalking up a 4-1 triumph against Germany.
The Samurai Blue took an early lead at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, with Junya Ito scoring after just 11 minutes, while Ayase Ueda, Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka managed to get in on the act later in the game.
It was not the first time Hajime Moriyasu's side have defeated Germany in recent memory, having also picked up a 2-1 victory at the 2022 World Cup, before going on to top a strong Group E, which also contained Spain and Costa Rica.
Although Japan came up just short in the round of 16, bowing out against Croatia on penalties, there were a lot of positives to take from their World Cup campaign, and they have managed to continue their good form into their recent friendly matches.
However, Turkey have also been on an impressive run as of late, winning five, drawing one and losing one of their last seven games, meaning they are now in a strong position to qualify for Euro 2024.
The Crescent-Stars are currently top of Group D, three points clear of Croatia and Armenia, although they have played at least one more game than every other team in the group.
Stefan Kuntz's side faced Armenia at the Yeni Eskisehir Stadium in their last match, and while they did not put in the best of performances, Bertug Yildirim's 88th-minute equaliser meant they were at least able to take a point from the game.
After missing out on qualification to the 2022 World Cup, Turkey will be hoping to build some momentum heading into the next round of Euro 2024 qualifiers in October, with a tricky game away against Croatia pencilled in next.
With nothing on the line this Tuesday, Kuntz could use the game to tinker with his system and starting lineup, particularly considering his side were not at their best against Armenia.
Team News
© Reuters
After putting in a very impressive performance against Germany last time out, Moriyasu is unlikely to make too many changes to his side, but a couple of alterations may be in order, considering Japan were in action only a few days ago.
Takefusa Kubo assisted two goals after being brought on as a substitute last time out, and the 22-year-old could replace Ito at right-wing, while Tanaka and Asano may also be in line for starts, after scoring against Germany.
Considering Turkey laboured to a point against Armenia, Kuntz may make a few changes to his side, with Yildirim replacing Baris Yilmaz in attack after the latter failed to make his mark on the last match.
Kuntz could have a selection dilemma in attack, as Halil Dervisoglu also performed well after being brought on as a substitute last time out, assisting the equalising goal.
Japan possible starting lineup:
Osako; Tomiyasu, Itakura, Sugawara, Ito; Endo, Tanaka, Kubo, Kamada, Mitoma; Asano
Turkey possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Celik, Demiral, Soyuncu, Ozkacar; Yuksek, Under, Kokcu, Calhanoglu, Akturkoglu; Yildirim
We say: Japan 1-0 Turkey
After topping their World Cup group, Japan have continued to defy the odds in recent times, running out 4-1 winners away against Germany in their last match.
Considering Turkey have also been in decent form, Tuesday's game could be close, but we expect the hosts to emerge as narrow winners.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
