The first action in Fifa World Cup Round of 32 on Monday comes from Houston where Brazil take on Japan
Brazil:
Brazil topped Group C with 2 wins and 1 draw finishing ahead of Morocco on goal difference. Scotland finished third with 3 points and Haiti were bottom of the quartet after losing all 3 of their matches.
Brazil made sure of top spot with a 3-0 win over Scotland in Miami. Vinicius Jr continued his goal streak punishing Scotland defensive errors with two first half goals and Matheus Cunha added the third after the break. Neymar came off the bench to get some game time on his return to fitness.
Brazil were 3-0 winners over Haiti in their second group match in Philadelphia. All 3 goals came in the first half and this time it was Matheus Cunha scoring the first 2 and Vinicius Jr adding the third.
Brazil had opened up with a 1-1 draw with Morocco in New Jersey. They looked all at sea in the first quarter of the game, conceded the first goal after 21 minutes but they worked their way into the game and Vinicius Junior scored a cracking equalizer on 32 minutes. Chances dried up after that and there was no further scoring.
Japan
Japan were unbeaten with 1 win and 2 draws and their tally of 5 points saw them finish as runners up in Group F. The Netherlands topped that quartet with 7 points whilst Sweden were third with 4 points and Tunisia had a miserable time of it, losing all 3 of their matches.
Japan face a really quick turnaround after their final group match against Sweden ended in a 1-1 draw in Dallas in the early hours of Friday morning. Daizen Maeda opened the scoring for Japan early in the second half but Sweden were level shortly afterwards. A draw probably suited both sides, especially Sweden and that’s the way it finished.
Japan reeled off a 4-0 win over Tunisia in Monterrey in their second group match. It took just 4 minutes for Daichi Kamada to open the scoring and Ayase Ueda made it 2-0 before half time In the second half Ueda set up Ito for Japan’s third and then scored his second of the match to make it 4-0.
Japan’s opening match against the Netherlands in Dallas was 0-0 at half time but a cracking second half eventually saw the game finish 2-2. Japan had to come from behind twice to claim a point and their goals came from Keito Nakamura and then Daichi Kamada who scored in the 89th minute.
The Betting (Regulation time unless stated otherwise)
Brazil are priced at around 8/11 to win the game with the draw available at 27/10 and Japan can be backed at around 19/5.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at even money and its 9/10 for both teams to score
To qualify for the next round by any method of victory Brazil are 7/20 and Japan are 22/10
The Verdict:
Japan looked very neat and tidy in their group matches and they might feel a little hard done by to be “rewarded” with a Ro32 clash against Brazil. However Japan did beat them 3-2 in friendly in Tokyo in October last year, coming from 2-0 down, the stakes are obviously miles higher here but I think both teams to score in regulation time is worth an interest.
Bets: Both teams to score? Yes at 9/10 with Sportingbet
Note, odds are subject to change