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Group H kicks off at the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday June 19th. It features Colombia vs Japan and Poland vs Sengal. In this article I will analyze the Colombia vs Japan match.
Colombia qualified for the World Cup via the CONMEBOL. In the 2014 World Cup they managed to make it to the quarter finals. Qualification in the CONMEBOL is always tricky. They finished with a 7-6-5 record to take the last spot in qualifying behind Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
They were able to obtain draws against both Uruguay and Brazil although lost the other games. Notably in Matchday 18 where a win over Peru was fairly important, they could only muster a draw. They still qualified but that could have went the wrong way for sure.
Japan qualified via the AFC. They won their group which featured Saudi Arabia and Australia with a 6-2-2 record.
Colombia vs Japan Betting Odds:
Colombia To Win: 1.72
Japan To Win: 6.00
Draw: 3.60
(Odds on this page are correct as of 2018/06/12 9:32:46 AM EST but are subject to change)
Colombia Analysis:
In terms of the teams, Group H is a fearly weak group so Colombia must feel good about possible qualification. Defensively they look fairly solid and I’d love to see Davinson Sanchez and Yerry Mina given the chance to lead from the back. Might as well get them both forming a bond at this early age.
Their issue could be their #1 goalie David Ospina. He has not had a good time at the top level lately and not getting regular club football either. Unfortunately for them Vargas and Cuadrado aren’t really there to step up.
Radamel Falcao comes into this tournament on some serious form and his return to the Colombian squad has been met with a lot of joy and hope by Colombian fans. And of course they have the incredible James Rodguiez who is the most crucial player in the squad. This is a guy whose performances at the national level are alawys on point, as he just bleeds Colombian.
Japan Analysis:
Probably the last big tournament for a lot of these guys and then Japan will have to do a big overhaul. With many of them past their prime they’ll be hoping for one last big effort.
The concern is watching what Akira Nishino is doing since his surprise appointment in April. He’s been experimenting with the 3-4-2-1. That formation is something you see a lot in the J-League but I don’t think it’s going to be suitable. I’d love to see it to be honest – I love different formations and I think it has potential.
It’s a tough formation to adapt to though and we’ve seen that with Japan in the friendlies they have played with it.
Should be interesting. I’m intrigued to see how they line up.
Colombia vs Japan Betting Tips:
This is one of those groups where I think the teams won’t want to put a foot wrong. It’s very open in regard to who will qualify and they’ll just be happy to get points on the board. I am going to back Under 2.5 Goals for 3 units. You can bet this at https://www.Bovada.lv.
