Live football Iraq vs Japan group D Asian cup 2023

Iraq vs Japan form

Iraq’s form is not bad. Coach Casas and his team have won 3 of their last 5 matches. They drew with Jordan and lost 0-1 to South Korea.

The Japanese team won 11 consecutive matches and scored 49 goals in this series. The Vietnamese team tried their best but could only score 2 goals and accepted defeat against the team from the land of the rising sun.

Iraq vs Japan Prediction

The most notable match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup is the clash between Iraq and Japan. These are the two candidates for the top spot in the group. Iraq does not have a quality and powerful squad like its opponent, but they are capable of causing a surprise for coach Hajime Moriyasu and his team.

The Iraqi team entered the match against Japan with a lot of unhappy news. Two players, Danilo Al Saed and Montader Madjed, both asked to leave the team for "personal reasons".

The Japanese team is rated higher than Iraq.

According to the country’s press, both were unhappy about having to sit out the match against the Indonesian team. They are both players of Iraqi origin and play abroad, and are highly regarded for their abilities. However, coach Jesus Casas left Madjed and Al Saed on the bench. Both did not play a single minute.

In addition, midfielder Osama Rashid also asked to leave the Asian Cup to return home for family reasons. This player confirmed that he will return to play for the Iraqi team in the next matches, but will definitely not participate in the match with the Vietnamese team.

Among the above losses, coach Casas is probably only concerned about Osama Rashid's case because he is assigned to play as a central midfielder.

In the current situation, Bashar Resan emerges as a bright choice. He possesses impressive individual technique, good control and creation ability. However, the weakness of the midfielder born in 1996 lies in defense. Ahmed Allee may be a safer choice.

On the other side, coach Hajime Moriyasu of course wants to win to quickly pass the group stage as well as to make it easier to calculate in the final match. The Iraqi team is certainly a very different opponent from the Vietnamese team. Therefore, this coach can make a few adjustments in the starting lineup.

Ayase Ueda can play the main role alongside Takumi Minamino. Both players scored on the opening day. Minamino in particular showed that he is still very useful with the sophistication in each finishing move. The Japanese team desperately needs a win but it is difficult for the Japanese team to take risks with Takefusa Kubo, Mitoma is still absent and can only appear from the knockout round.

The lesson from the previous match against Vietnam will make the Japanese team play more focused in the second match. If they take advantage of the opportunities and avoid mistakes in defense, victory is within reach of the Japanese team.

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