Japan v Costa Rica tips
Japan to Win
Maya Yoshida to Attempt 70 or More Passes
Japan to Win 2-0
Sunday 10am: Japan v Costa Rica
TV: ITV
Japan to Win
Japan face Costa Rica in their second Group E match following their stunning 2-1 victory against Germany last time out. Hajime Moriyasu’s side will be full of confidence after beating the 2014 World Cup winners, especially after their opponents went 1-0 up.
Japan capitalised on their oppositions mistakes and scored two tidy goals late on.
Costa Rica, meanwhile, come into this one on the back of their 7-0 hammering against Spain. It was Spain’s biggest World Cup win and they had chances to score even more.
They will be desperate to bounce back after the heavy defeat, however, Japan should have more than enough to beat their Group E rivals. Japan to Win is our first bet.
Maya Yoshida to Attempt 70 or More Passes
Japan had just 26 per cent possession against Germany, with Thomas Muller and Co. dominating the ball. Despite that, former Southampton defender Maya Yoshida still managed to complete 39 passes.
The Schalke centre-half is guaranteed to start for Japan against Costa Rica, who are much weaker opposition compared to Germany.
If Yoshida completed 39 passes last time out, we fancy him to Attempt 70 or More Passes here.
Japan will have most of the ball and they will likely move it around the back to shift Costa Rica and open up spaces to exploit.
Japan to Win 2-0
We’ve mentioned that we fancy Japan to get the job done but we also expect Moriyasu’s men to win to nil.
Japan looked a real attacking threat against Germany and they had 12 shots, with four of them going on target. That was with them having 26 per cent possession so Japan can create more chances with more of the ball against Costa Rica.
Costa Rica failed to have a shot in their 7-0 defeat against Spain, with Luis Fernando Suarez’s side having just 18 per cent possession.
They don’t be able to deal with Japan’s pressure on Sunday and it could be another tough outing. We’re backing Japan to Win 2-0.
Japan v Costa Rica betting tips:
Japan to Win
Maya Yoshida to Attempt 70 or More Passes
Japan to Win 2-0
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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