Japan’s quest for an Olympic gold on the football pitch continues this weekend, as they come up against New Zealand at the quarterfinal stage. It could be a thrilling match, but will it be joy for the hosts?
Olympic Football Preview
Japan have undoubtedly been one of the standout teams in the Olympic football tournament to this point, and they look excellent value to be one of the teams that could go on and challenge for gold. Only Japan have a 100% record in the competition going into the knockout stages, as Japan won all three fixtures that they played in Group A. That would have looked unlikely when the group was drawn, as they faced tricky tests against Mexico and France. However, they came out of the group having taken nine points from three games, and having scored seven goals and conceding just once. Their final group game was a very impressive showing against France, as they ran out 4-0 winners. Takefusa Kubo continued his impressive Olympics with a goal in the game, while Daizen Maeda, Koki Miyoshi and Hiroki Sakai also scored.
New Zealand faced an anxious wait to see whether they would make it through to the next round of the Olympics, as they narrowly avoided finishing third courtesy of their superior goal difference. The Kiwis won once in the group stages, while they also lost once and were held to a draw on one occasion. New Zealand were aware that a point would be enough to get them through on the final matchday and that was the result that they managed to achieve against Romania, with the sides playing out a 0-0.
Japan vs New Zealand Head to Head
New Zealand don’t have a good record against Japan, as they have won just once in four previous meetings. Their win was achieved in the Merdeka Tournament in 1981. Since then, Japan have won the three most recent fixtures, including the 2-1 success that they recorded in an international friendly in October 2017.
Japan vs New Zealand Prediction
New Zealand’s record against Japan will not give them much hope going into this game, while they also have also tasted defeat at the Olympics this summer. Meanwhile, Japan have looked incredibly strong in the games that they have played, and it would be difficult to bet against the hosts progressing through to the next round.
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