Overview before the China - Japan match
The home team is 4th in Group C after 5 matches, with 6 points like Australia and Saudi Arabia, while the away team is at the top of the table with 13 points after 5 matches.
China has only participated in the World Cup finals once in 2002. In that tournament, they finished bottom of the table after losing all three matches, conceding nine goals without scoring any.
Branko Ivankovic, who was appointed to lead the Chinese team in February 2024, experienced challenging matches with his team in the World Cup qualifiers. The Chinese team lost their first three matches against Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia. That put Ivankovic under great pressure.
However, the Chinese team made a big turning point when defeating Indonesia 2-1 and Bahrain 1-0, thereby climbing to 4th place and hoping to enter the Top 2 to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Three points against Japan will significantly increase the home team's chances of going through. However, China's goal of winning the match will not be easy, because Japan is the strongest team in the group, even considered the strongest in Asia at the moment.
The Japanese team has shown their superior strength in Group C when winning 4 matches and drawing 1 match in the last 5 matches. They lead the group with 13 points, 7 points more than the second-placed team Australia, while scoring 19 goals and conceding only 1 goal.
Hajime Moriyasu's side had a broken record in a 1-1 draw with Australia in October, but then bounced back strongly, beating Indonesia 4-0 on 15 November.
The Japanese team is aiming for their 8th consecutive World Cup appearance. If they defeat China, they will be closer to completing this goal.
Force information
Shangyuan Wang and Lei Li both had to leave the field due to injuries in China's 1-0 victory over Bahrain, leaving both of them uncertain.
Zhang Yuning has scored in both of China's Group C victories and the striker is likely to start alongside Baihelamu Abuduwaili on the evening of November 19.
As for the visitors, they easily won 4-0 against Indonesia in their most recent match. With a strong squad, Japan can completely disrupt some positions to play China.
Head-to-head record, score prediction
In the last 7 meetings, Japan have defeated China 5 times while the remaining 2 matches ended in a draw. In the first leg, Japan beat China 7-0 at home.
Japan last lost in February this year when they lost 1-2 to Iran in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup. Since then, they have won 8/9 of their since then, drawing 1 match. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they have won 4 and drawn 1. They beat Indonesia 4-0 in their most recent match.
Meanwhile, China have won their last two matches. Before that, Ivankovic's team had a streak of 5 matches without a win, including 4 consecutive losses. China is ranked 92nd in the FIFA world rankings, while Japan is ranked 15th.
With the difference in level, the Japanese team will have many opportunities to defeat the home team, and may even win big.
Expected lineup:
China team: Wang Dalei, Zhu Chenjie, Li Lei, Jiang Shenglong, Yang Zexiang, Lin Liangming, Wang Shangyuan, Li Yuanyi, Wei Shihao, Wu Lei, Zhang Yuning.
Japan team: Zion Suzuki, Daiki Hashioka, Koki Machida, Ko Itakura, Kaoru Mitoma, Hidemasa Morita, Wataru Endo, Ritsu Doan, Daichi Kamada, Koki Ogawa, Takumi Minamino.
Score prediction: China 0-3 Japan.
