(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Japan are set to take on China at the Saitama Stadium on Thursday in
matchday one of the third round of World Cup qualifiers. The hosts secured a 100% record in Group B in the previous round, while the Dragon Team narrowly progressed through in second place in Group C. The Samurai Blue are aiming to qualify for their eighth successive FIFA World Cup finals. The visitors, on the other hand, are looking to qualify for the global event for the first time since 2002.
Also read:
Australia vs Bahrain: World Cup Qualifier live stream, schedule, fixture and probable lineups
Japan have been the most improved AFC side in the last decade or so, having reached the round of 16 of 2022 World Cup in Qatar courtesy of defeating Germany and Spain in the Group stage.
Couple of months later, the Samurai Blue thrashed four-time world champions Germany 4-1 in a friendly in their own backyard. Hajime Moriyasu's side obviously went into the delayed AFC Asian Cup earlier this year as favourites but suffered two defeats against Iran.
After losing 2-1 to Team Melli in the group stage, Japan progressed to the knockout round and got the better of Bahrain 3-1 in round of 16. However, the Samurai Blue were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing 2-1 to Iran once again. Nevertheless, Moriyasu's side went on with their business in the second round of World Cup qualifiers, recording six wins from as many games. They are now on a sensational run of 16 wins from last 18 outings.
China, on the other hand, sneaked through to the third round of WC qualifiers despite winning just two of their six group games. One of those wins came against Singapore back in March, and it was their lone victory from last ten outings in all competitions. Meanwhile, Branko Ivankovic's side went down 1-0 to South Korea in June, highlighting that they have the capacity to frustrate bigger teams should they perform at their best.
Probable Lineups
Japan probable starting lineup: Osako, Taniguchi, Ikatura, Machida, Doan, Endo, Tanaka, Nakamura, Kubo, Minamino, Ueda.
China probable starting lineup: Wang D., Yang, Zhu, Browning, Liu, Wu, Jiang, Wang S., Xie, Yuning, Fernandinho
Japan vs China Schedule and Fixture
The third round World Cup qualifying match between Japan and China will take place at Saitama Stadium on Thursday at 4:05 PM IST.
Japan vs China Live Streaming Details
The live streaming of the World Cup qualifiers will be available on Fancode in India. Meanwhile, football fans in Japan can watch the match on DAZN Japan and TV Asahi. Those in China can catch the live action via iQiyi.
Also read:
Serbia vs Spain: UEFA Nations League schedule, fixture, probable lineups and live streaming detail
MENAFN04092024007385015968ID1108635555
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.