Japan vs Spain football prediction: Asian representative unlikely to create surprise

(VTC News) - Detailed analysis, performance assessment and result prediction of the Japan vs Spain men's soccer match at the 2024 Olympics taking place at 10:00 p.m. on August 2.

Spain U23 suffered a shocking defeat to Egypt in the final round of the group stage. They dropped to second place and met Japan U23, who are in good form, in the quarterfinals. Prediction Japan U23 vs Spain U23 Japan U23 entered the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics with a perfect record in the group stage. They won 5-0 in the opening match against Paraguay, followed by two consecutive 1-0 victories against Mali and Israel. After 3 matches, Japan scored 7 goals and did not concede. Japan's playing style is quite cautious. 6 out of 7 of their goals came in the second half. It would not be surprising if Go Oiwa's team started the match against Spain slowly. However, Spain conceded in the first half in all 3 group stage matches. Japan can take advantage of this loophole to gain an early advantage at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

Spain suffered a shock defeat to Egypt.

If they beat the young bullfighters, the land of the rising sun will enter the men's football semi-finals for the third time in the last four Olympics. This is not an easy task, because Spain really wants to make amends with their fans after the defeat against Egypt. Furia Roja only finished second in Group C, so they have to face the team that has won all the matches since the beginning of the tournament. The consolation for Spanish fans is probably their victory over Japan, in the Tokyo 2021 semi-finals. The head-to-head record between Japan and Spain at the Olympics is also quite equal. After 3 meetings in the past, Olympic Japan won 1 match, lost 1 match and drew 1 match against Spain. Matches between the two teams often have few goals. At the Tokyo Olympics, Spain drew with Japan after 90 minutes of regulation, before Marco Asensio sealed a 1-0 victory in extra time. At London 2012, Japan surprisingly defeated Spain in Group A to win Group D with a minimum score of 1-0. With Japan's caution, the two teams are unlikely to be able to resolve the match in the official 90 minutes. Comparing the forces, Rihito Yamamoto is an impressive player for the Japan U23 team. He scored in both opening matches at the 2024 Olympics. Including 2 assists at the U23 Asian Cup in April, Yamamoto has contributed to 4 goals in the last 6 starts.

Rihito Yamamoto scored 2 goals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

His opponent is Fermin Lopez, a young midfielder from FC Barcelona. He did not start against Egypt, and as a result, the three Spanish midfielders played quite erratically. Lopez will almost certainly return to the starting lineup in the knockout round. His forte is scoring late goals for Barca, but Lopez's only goal at the 2024 Olympics came in the first half. He could be an interesting variable against the tournament's best defense in Japan. Japan starting lineup: Kokubo; Sekine, Takai, Nishio, Uchino; Fujita; Yamamoto, Araki; Yamada, Hosoya, Saito. Spain starting lineup: Tenas; Pubill, Mosquera, Pacheco, Gutierrez; Turrientes, Bernabe; Oroz, Fermin, Lopez; Abel Ruiz. Predicted score Japan U23 1-1 Spain (Spain won 2-1 in extra time).

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