Overview
Tunisia is going through a period of turmoil after a heavy 1-5 defeat to Sweden in the opening match. That result caused the Tunisian Football Federation to decide to sack coach Sabri Lamouchi after only one match, making him the first coach in World Cup history to lose his job in the middle of the group stage after the opening match.
The person chosen to replace him is Herve Renard, an experienced strategist who has led Zambia, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia and the French women's national team. However, his task is not easy when Tunisia is facing the risk of being eliminated early.
The defeat to Sweden was Tunisia's biggest defeat in World Cup history. The North African team's defense revealed many problems, especially the forgettable performance of goalkeeper Abdelmouhib Chamakh with two direct mistakes leading to the goal conceded.
Tunisia also became the second team since 1966 to concede 3 goals from outside the penalty area in a World Cup match, showing alarming gaps in defense.
Meanwhile, Japan entered the match with a much more positive mood after a courageous 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. Hajime Moriyasu's team was led twice but still won one point thanks to their persistent fighting spirit.
Since the 2022 World Cup, Japan has continued to prove that they are one of the most difficult teams to beat. Despite conceding goals in all 7 recent group stage matches at the World Cup, the "Blue Samurai" have only lost 2 of those matches.
One of Japan's biggest strengths is the ability to create breakthroughs from the bench. 5 of their last 7 goals at the World Cup have the footprint of substitute players, showing the admirable squad depth of the Asian representative.
In defense, Shogo Taniguchi continues to be a prominent factor. The 34-year-old center-back achieved a pass accuracy rate of up to 98% in the match against the Netherlands and played an important role in deploying the ball from the defense.
With stability in playing style and excitement after the draw against the Netherlands, Japan is rated slightly higher against a Tunisia that is in a period of turmoil. However, the appearance of Herve Renard may bring a new breath of life to the North African representative in the landmark match of Group F.
Head-to-head record
Tunisia and Japan will face each other for the second time at a World Cup. The first meeting took place in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup, when Japan won 2-0.
In terms of overall head-to-head record, Japan is clearly dominant. In the previous six encounters, Tunisia has only won one, which was a 3-0 victory at the Kirin Cup held in Japan in June 2022. The remaining five encounters all ended with victories for the "Green Samurai".
Score prediction: Tunisia 0-2 Japan
The match between Tunisia and Japan takes place at 11:00 AM on June 21st (Vietnam time).
