Israel vs Japan Prediction & Betting Tips - Men's Olympic Tournament

Prediction published on 30/07/2024, 06:29  by Ian John in Men's Olympic Tournament Predictions

Japan faces Israel in both teams' final match in Group D of the Men's Olympic Football Tournament. Who will our prediction favor in this game, in which there is a lot more at stake for the Israeli team than there is for the Japanese?

Head coach Ho Oiwa's team is under no pressure in this fixture because Japan has already qualified for the knockout phase and as group winners. However, Oiwa may decide to rest some key players ahead of a potential knockout phase quarter-final against the team that finishes second in Group C. Japan thrashed Paraguay in their opener 5-0 but had to battle hard in their second game before eventually defeating Mali 1-0.

The current U23 Asian Cup holders are on a seven-game unbeaten run heading into this fixture. Confidence, therefore, should be high within the Japanese squad.

Israel manager Guy Luzon has led his team to just one point collected in the Olympics so far. That came from a 1-1 draw with Mali in their opening game. They were minutes away from a second point against Paraguay, but conceded two dramatic late goals to lose the game 4-2, which put them at a huge disadvantage here. Israel must win this game to stand any chance of qualifying for the knockout phase, and even then those chances are slim.

However, they have reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Football Tournament twice in the three previous times they have qualified. 

With the situation as it is for Israel and with the pressure off Japan, this looks like being an open and end-to-end contest, which will likely favor the Japanese team.