Japan vs. Spain 12/1/22 World Cup Soccer Picks, Predictions, Odds

Japan and Spain face off on Thursday in a Group E World Cup soccer showdown at Khalifa International Stadium.

Spain currently sits in 1st place in the group, having picked up four points so in the World Cup. In the first game of the World Cup, Spain was able to beat Costa Rica 7-0. In the last game against Germany, the offense wasn’t quite as impressive, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Spain had 65 percent of the possession and three shots on target, but a goal given up in the 65th minute was the difference. Gavi is dealing with a minor injury, but he hasn’t been in training, and it’s unclear if he’s going to be able to go in this game. Captain Sergio Busquets is also expected to be moving to the bench. 

On the other side of this matchup is Japan, who sits in second place in the group having picked up three points. Japan in the first game were able to beat Germany 2-1. In the last game against Costa Rica, though, the offense couldn’t get anything going, and they ended up losing by 1-0. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Hiroki Sakai are both dealing with hamstring injuries, and neither are expected to play in this game. Ao Tanaka could move into the starting lineup here, and he is going to need to have a big game. 

Japan looked so good in the first game against Germany, but they didn’t look good in the last game against Costa Rica. I still don’t trust this Japan offense, and they are going to have issues getting through the back line of Spain. Look for Spain to score a goal or two, and they will get the job done here. Back Spain -1.5 to cash here.