Japan vs Mongolia 10/10/19

10 October 2019

Japan will be looking for routine three points against Mongolia to kick-off their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifications (WCQ) at home with a bang when the two nations lock horns at the Saitama Stadium this midweek.

Japan’s trip to Myanmar in the qualifying opener has resulted in a comfortable 2-0 win for the group favorites, who are now keen to extend their unbeaten run to five games, friendlies included (W2, D2). If the Samurai Blue win here, it will probably be to nil, as eight of their ten triumphs since the turn of the year were accompanied by a clean sheet. Japan’s recent games have been short of entertainment though, with seven of their last nine matches featuring under 2.5 goals, with just two of them seeing both teams score too.

Meanwhile, both of the visitors’ WCQ games have ended with the same 1-0 scoreline (W1, L1). Notably, none of Mongolia’s last eight matches has ended in a draw (W2, L6), with five of their defeats in that period seeing them concede at least two goals. The Blue Wolves will need a miracle to walk away from the Saitama Stadium unbeaten, judging on their recent away record. Michael Weiß’s men have lost seven of their last eight trips (D1, L7), with all of those failures witnessing Mongolia allow over 1.5 match goals.