Indonesia Vs Japan : Hunt For First Victory, Garuda Merah Putih Must Be Beaten By Blue Samurai!

Indonesia vs Japan meeting in the 2023 Asian Cup (photo: x @jfa)

JAKARTA - Two teams at different ends in Group C will meet on Friday 15 November when Indonesia host Japan in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match at SUGBK, Jakarta.

Indonesia is currently in fifth position with three points from four matches, while Japan leads the standings with ten points.

Indonesia entered the third round of FIFA AFC World Cup qualifiers in hopes of winning a ticket to their second World Cup, after first participating in 1938 when it was still Ducth East Indies.

Meanwhile, if you look at the record of their meeting, Japan is superior. Of the previous 18 meetings, Indonesia recorded four wins, two draws, and 12 defeats. In the last meeting in the 2023 Asian Cup, Indonesia also lost 1-3 to Japan.

Under the tutelage of Shin Tae-yong, Indonesia started this campaign with a draw against Saudi Arabia (1-1) and Australia (0-0), followed by a 2-2 draw against Bahrain. Unfortunately, Indonesia lost the chance to win the first three points after conceding a goal in the 99th minute.

Despite being dominant in the last match against China with 76% possession and 14 shots, Indonesia lost 1-2, extending their search for their first win in the group.

With these conditions, Indonesia is still hunting for their first win in this group. Shin Tae-yong and his team had to work extra hard, especially against strong teams like Japan and Saudi Arabia at this international break.

On the other hand, Japan appeared very impressive in the third half of the qualifiers, becoming one of the few unbeaten teams. Hajime Moriyasu's team also had the best record of attack and defense, scoring 15 goals and conceding only once so far. Despite being disappointing in the 2023 Asian Cup, Japan again showed their strength by topping the second half of the qualifiers without defeat.

In the previous match in this qualification, Japan beat China 7-0, Bahrain 5-0, and Saudi Arabia 2-0, before drawing 1-1 against Australia. Now, they are determined to win again to ensure a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Indonesia coach, Shin Tae-yong, is likely to maintain the same line of players as in the last match, where Thom Haye and Ivar Jenner in midfield will become motorcycles in midfield. Meanwhile, the player of descent who was sworn in last week, Kevin Diks, will make his debut with Indonesia.

Ayase Ueda, who has started in Japan's four third-round group matches, is ruled out in the upcoming match due to injury. His position will be replaced by Kyogo Furuhashi, who rejoined the squad for the first time since October 2023.

Meanwhile, Moriyasu is expected to stick with an attacking line-up similar to the previous matches. Takefusa Kubo and Takumi Minamino are likely to play behind strikers, while Mythoma and Ritsu Doan are operating on the wing.

In the defense, Zion Suzuki, Ko Itakura, Shogo Taniguchi, and Koki Machida have been the mainstays in the last four matches, and Moriyasu will most likely retain this combination, considering he predicts an away match that is difficult against Indonesia.

Indonesia hopes to achieve a positive result in this match, even though the opponent they face is a strong team in Group C.

Player Composition Forecast

Indonesia: Paes; Walsh, Diks, Amat, Idzes, Verdok; Witan, Jenner, Haye, Oratmangoen; Struick

Japan: Suzuki; Itakura, Taniguchi, Machida; Doan, Endo, Morita, Mitoma; Minamino, Kubo; Furuhashi