Saudi Arabia vs Japan Prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds

The visitors are enjoying a perfect win record in the group.

The highly anticipated international break is all set to unfold a series of end-to-end games with guaranteed drama and action. Asian heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Japan will lock horns against each other in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers. The Green Falcons played out a 1-1 draw against Indonesia before defeating China in their last outing. They are currently placed second in their group with four points in hand.

Japan, on the other hand, sit at the top of the table with two wins in two games. The Samurai Blue started their campaign with a 7-0 triumph over China before scoring five past Bahrain in the last match. But the test against Saudi Arabia will be the toughest they have faced till now. They have won their last six games and will be keen to continue the momentum.

Kick Off

Thursday, 10 October, 11:30 PM IST

Venue: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah

Form

Saudi Arabia (in all competitions): W-D-L-W-D

Japan (in all competitions): W-W-W-W-W

Players to watch 

Hassan Kadesh (Saudi Arabia)

The defender stole the show in Saudi Arabia’s victory over China in their last game. He scored both goals for the Green Falcons and helped his side secure all three points. Kadesh is known for his ability to win the ball at crucial junctures of the game and his defensive solidity at the back. He will have to shoulder the responsibility to keep a check on Japan’s high-flying attacking unit.

Hidemasa Morita (Japan)

Hidemasa Morita will look to continue his fine form in the qualifiers and help Japan maintain their perfect start. The Sporting Lisbon midfielder is known for his versatility, vision and work rate. He is a proper box-to-box midfielder and has made notable contributions on either end of the pitch. Morita will be high on confidence having scored two goals in Japan’s 5-0 triumph over Bahrain.

Match facts

• Japan have won four out of their last six games against Saudi Arabia
• The last match between the two sides ended in a 2-0 win for Japan in 2022
• Japan have won 11 of their 13 games in 2024

Saudi Arabia vs Japan: Betting tips and Odds

• Tip 1: Japan to win – 4/7 by Betway
• Tip 2: Both teams to score – 6/5 by Quinnbet
• Tip 3: The visitors to score first – 1/2 by BoyleSports

Injury & Team News

Both teams are expected to have a fully fit squad available for selection.

Head-to-head

Total Matches played – 18

Saudi Arabia wins – 6

Japan wins – 11

Draws – 1

Predicted Line-up 

Saudi Arabia (3-4-2-1)

Owais (GK); Tambakti, Lajami, Kadesh; Abdulhamid, Kanno, Malki, Dawsari; Hamdan, Salem; Buraikan

Japan (3-4-3)

Suzuki (GK); Itakura, Machida, Taniguchi; Endo, Morita, Kamada, Doan; Mitoma, Minamino, Ueda

Prediction for Saudi Arabia vs Japan

Both teams are among the best sides in Asia. But, Japan will have an upper hand coming into this game because of their superb run of form and dominant head-to-head record against Saudi Arabia. We expect Japan to come out on top in this fixture.

Prediction: Saudi Arabia 2-4 Japan

Telecast for Saudi Arabia vs Japan

India – Fancode

UAE – Shahid

China – iQiyi

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