Belgium vs. Japan Prediction
With a victory over England completing an undefeated group play for Belgium, it now will look to put together another impressive performance today versus Japan in the knockout stage. Will Belgium see its World Cup run continue with a win as heavy favorites?
Game Snapshot
97863 Japan vs. 9764 Belgium
Monday, July 2, 2018
Rostov Arena at 2PM ET
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, Belgium is a -282 favorite on the moneyline. Japan is a +866 underdog, while a bet on a draw is set at +367. The total sits at 2.5 goals.
Belgium wins showdown with England
The winner of the Belgium-England match would take Group G and while there were strong arguments as to why perhaps winning for either side wasn’t important due to future draws, Belgium got the job done as it won 1-0. Adrian Januzaj scored the game’s lone goal on a blast in the 51st minute. Belgium had 52 percent of the possession, recording 15 shots including four on goal. England registered 13 shots with only one being on goal. Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku did not play in the match with a minor injury, but is fully expected to play today.
Fair play rule puts Japan into knockout stage
Despite a 1-0 loss to Poland to complete Group H play, Japan moved on to the round of 16 because of a better disciplinary record than Senegal. Japan committed 11 fouls against Poland and was assessed one yellow card, but overall it stayed out of trouble from the referees more than Senegal. Following the way the group shook out, Senegal’s football federation asked FIFA to reconsider the fair play rule as a tiebreaker. Japan had 54 percent of the possession against Poland and fired 10 shots with three being on goal. Poland had 11 shots including two on goal. Japan manufactured five corner kicks, while Poland had seven corner kicks.
Prediction:
Japan is the smaller side here but has some talent that is capable of getting free in the offensive zone, while Belgium has only slowed down its offense through three matches when the situation dictated it against England. I think this contest gets to three goals and perhaps a couple more, especially with Lukaku back in the lineup. Take the over here.
WORLD CUP DAILY PREDICTION: BELGIUM/JAPAN OVER 2.5