FIFA World Cup Group G | Colombia vs Japan – Key Players, Line-ups and Prediction[spacer height=”30px”]
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Colombia will be looking to start off their campaign with a solid win in their opening Columbia vs Japan Fixture. The 2018 FIFA World Cup has already seen a lot of surprises as Argentina, Brazil, Spain were all held and the defending champions, Germany were shocked by Mexico. Japan will also be hoping to upset the Colombians and start their campaign with a win in the Columbia vs Japan Fixture. [spacer height=”30px”]
Japan will look for some measure of revenge when the two sides meet for Columbia vs Japan having been knocked out of the group stages back in 2014 with a 4-1 loss to the South Americans in the final group match.[spacer height=”30px”]
Colombia
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Columbia were one of the surprise packages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They were welcomed home to a hero’s welcome as they managed to go on one of the most memorable runs, only to be beaten by the Brazilian team in the quarters.[spacer height=”30px”]
This was a great sign for the national team as they hadn’t qualified for the previous three tournaments.[spacer height=”30px”]
The South American team will be hoping for the same kind of tournament if not better and will surely intend to kick off their campaign with a statement victory in the Columbia vs Japan fixture. [spacer height=”30px”]
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Key Players[spacer height=”30px”]
James Rodríguez – Star Player[spacer height=”30px”]
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James Rodríguez will be hoping to retain the Golden Boot that he won 4 years ago. His performances in the 2014 FIFA World Cup earned him a multi-million pound deal to Real Madrid but he hasn’t been able to feature regularly due to the presence of star players.[spacer height=”30px”]
He was since loaned out to Bayern Munich where he scored 7 and assisted 11 in 19 appearances in the league in his first season and now looks set to make his loan deal permanent with his new club.[spacer height=”30px”]
His team will be hoping of a similar performance from him in this World Cup too and along with key striker Radamel Falcao who is back as one of the most feared strikers in Europe will look to push on through the group stages as the winners of the group.[spacer height=”30px”]
Davinson Sanchez – Young Star[spacer height=”30px”]
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The 22 year old Davinson Sanchez will be hoping to make a huge impact in his first World Cup. He has tremendous pace and will need to be at his best to keep the opponent from scoring. He made a total of 39 appearances for Tottenham in the recently concluded season, averaging 1.1 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.[spacer height=”30px”]
He will be under a lot of pressure as it is his first world cup and a lot of hopes are riding on him but by now he must be used to the great measure of expectations and pressure having featured in the UEFA Champions League for Tottenham as the preferred center back pairing along with Jan Vertongen. [spacer height=”30px”]
[spacer height=”30px”]Japan[spacer height=”30px”]
Japan underwhelmed in 2014, and has struggled in the build up to Russia. It looks like Group H is there for the taking, but the Blue Samurai are the least likely of four participants to take it. Japan only appointed 63-year-old veteran coach Akira Nishino back in April and so it is obvious that they are not a settled side but this is what makes them entertaining as they can be very unpredictable.[spacer height=”30px”]
Speaking ahead of the match here is what Japan’s Goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima had to say about Columbia and their teams chances for the Columbia vs Japan Fixture :[spacer height=”30px”]
“Obviously they have a lot of talent,” Kawashima said. “They’ve got a scorer [Radamel Falcao], they’ve got a passer [James Rodriguez]. We’ll try to be well organized and try to reduce their space.[spacer height=”20px”]
“We’ve been suffering for the past four years because of 2014. This time, we have to show ourselves that we can do something better.”
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Key Players ahead of Columbia vs Japan : [spacer height=”30px”]
Shinji Kagawa – Star Player[spacer height=”30px”]
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Shinji Kagawa came to prominence after his stint with Borussia Dortmund in the 2012 season after which he made to switch to one of the biggest club in the world, Manchester United.[spacer height=”30px”]
His time in Manchester was injury laden and he could not cement his place in the starting XI and hence he moved back to Borussia Dortmund. Though he didn’t have one of his best seasons last year still Japan will be hoping Kagawa to fire on all cylinders if they are to qualify from the group stages and it all starts from the Columbia vs Japan fixture. [spacer height=”30px”]
Genki Haraguchi – Rising Star[spacer height=”30px”]
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It’s been quite a season for Genki Haraguchi. The Japanese forward banged five goals in qualifying to help send his side to this summers footballing spectacle. Not only that, but Haraguchi played a pivotal role in his club side Fortuna Dusseldorfs campaign, as they were promoted to the Bundesliga.[spacer height=”30px”]
At 27 he’s coming into his prime, and if he can turn it on in Russia, we could be seeing a lot more of him and will certainly prove to be key in the Columbia vs Japan fixture. [spacer height=”30px”]
Predicted Lineup For Columbia vs Japan[spacer height=”30px”]
[spacer height=”30px”]KEY OPTA FACTS[spacer height=”30px”]
– Top scorer for Colombia in the 2018 qualifiers and all-time at the World Cup, James has been directly involved in eight of his team’s last 10 goals at the finals (six goals, two assists).[spacer height=”30px”]
– Japan has won only two of its last 11 World Cup games (D3 L6), against Cameroon and Denmark in June 2010. It has also won just one of five opening games in the competition (D1 L3), against Cameroon in 2010.[spacer height=”30px”]
– None of Colombia’s 18 games at the World Cup have ended goalless. In fact, only the United States (33) and Austria (29) have played more games in the competition without ever registering a 0-0.[spacer height=”30px”]
Prediction for Columbia vs Japan : [spacer height=”30px”]
Colombia 2-1 Japan. Colombia has some goals in them with Falcao, Cuadrado and Rodriguea in their ranks. So it will be hard for Japan to contain them for the 90 minutes.[spacer height=”30px”]
