Group E of the World Cup kicks off as the long-time goliaths of international football Germany take on an exciting Japanese team. The Khalifa International Stadium will play host to this clash of talented teams.
Germany vs Japan Predictions and Best Betting Odds for Group E Opener
AUFTAKTSPIEL 🇩🇪🇯🇵#GER #GERJPN #DFBTEAM #MATCHDAY #WM2022 pic.twitter.com/AkEWIOjhwY
— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) November 23, 2022
Germany Run of Form
A rather desperate run in the Nations League served as a worrying precursor for Hansi Flick’s team. They only secured one win in six games, with four matches ending in a draw. Things have slowed down for the side since completely dominating their World Cup Qualifying group, although most would consider it to be one of the weakest groups in the entire qualification stage.
Read More: Germany World Cup Preview: Can Die Mannschaft Claim Their Fifth Star?
Japan Run of Form
The Asian side came through the World Cup Qualification stage with a strong second-place finish in their group, finishing just one point behind Saudi Arabia. Since then they have had strong results in the Kirin Cup, East Asian Cup, and friendlies.
Read More: World Cup Predictions Round One; England and the USA to Get Off to Winning Starts
It would be a mistake to overlook this side coming into the tournament opener.
Hansi Flick: "In 2010 Spain became world champions thanks to tiki-taka, in 2014 Germany won the title thanks to possession, in 2018 France won because of their quality on the pitch and substitutions that don't affect quality" ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MqftajTtsk
— BayernTimes (@BayernTimes) November 18, 2022
Recent Head to Head
These two sides have only met twice since the turn of the millennium with Die Mannschaft winning the first and the second ending in a draw. Going further back into history, we see that record repeat with West Germany registering one win and one draw against the Samurai Blue.
History doesn’t bode well for Japan as they have never beaten their opening-day opposition.
Germany vs Japan Prediction
Despite the difference in quality and historical precedent, we’re leaning towards the underdogs in this one. The German national team feels like a sleeping giant in its current form and they’re going up against a fresh-faced, energetic team with the hopes of a nation on their shoulders.
Current Odds: Germany vs Japan
With odds of 4/9 on SkyBet, Germany are clear favourites to come away with the win. Their opponents are at 6/1 to pull off the upset.
