Japan looks to sustain their ruthless momentum against a resilient Swedish side desperate to overcome defensive woes and secure a crucial knockout stage berth in Group F.
Who will win?
Japan cruised to victory last time out, beating Tunisia 4-0 and is set to take on Sweden, who will be wanting to come back from their huge 5-1 loss to the Netherlands.
Hajime Moriyasu's side bounced back from a timid display against the Oranje with a ruthless performance despite not having their talismanic Takefusa Kubo fit to play.
Meanwhile, Sweden lost by the very same scoreline they beat Tunisia by. Despite massive defensive frailties, they will be confident knowing they can create goal scoring opportunites as they had 21 shots against the Netherlands.
While three points could be enough for Sweden to qualify for the next stage, results in other fixtures could make it precarious for them. Meanwhile, Japan will want to confirm at least second in the group or potentially first if Tunisia pull off an upset against the Oranje.
Team news
Kubo will continue to be out injured for Japan and is set to miss this game as he looks to overcome a knee injury. The Samurai Blue are still hopeful he will return for the knockouts.
Striker Shuto Machino, who replaced Wataru Endo in the World Cup squad, has yet to make an appearance so far due to illness. It is expected he will still be out for this game, too.
TNT Sports is reporting that Moriyasu may make multiple changes to the team, with Daizen Maeda being the notable name returning to the side, but as a wing-back.
As for Sweden, despite their defensive frailties, it's expected that Graham Potter will name the same team to take on Japan.
Despite looking like one of Sweden's best players when coming on, Anthony Elanga may have to settle for another substitute cameo.
Prediction
Japan as a unit have so far proven to be the best defensive and consistent unit in the group. Whereas Sweden has proven to be like a lottery, although generally, if the scoreline against the Oranje does not represent it, quite dangerous going forward.
The way Sweden lines up with their back five will be crucial in this game. If they stay in a narrow shape, Japan could blow them away, as they rely on their wing-backs, whether it is Keito Nakamura or Ritsu Doan, in previous games to kick-start attacks.
The midfield battle will be interesting too. The fluidity in Japan's play means players will interchange positions to create space and overload teams in the final third.
Having a strike duo could cause problems for the Japanese back three, and with the partnership Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokores have struck up, it could be a battle to watch.
Prediction Japan 2 - 1 Sweden
