Brazil – Japan

The five-time champions will not be able to beat the Japanese in regulation time.

The Brazil national team, in its traditional status as one of the favorites, arrived at the World Cup in North America. It seems the Brazilians in recent years have done everything possible to avoid being in such a prestigious position. The recent Copa América they flopped, and in the South American qualifiers, played over two years in a round-robin format, they finished only fifth. Undoubtedly, having Carlo Ancelotti on the coaching staff and star players in the squad obliges others to reckon with the five-time world champions. However, the only strong side to face Brazil in the group stage did not allow themselves to be beaten by it. On the contrary, Morocco opened the scoring in the first-round match and could have doubled the lead, but Vinícius demonstrated brilliant individual abilities—1-1. Subsequently, Brazil defeated Haiti and Scotland 3-0 each, but those teams were not ready for the World Cup level, which is why they exited in the group stage. The fact that Brazil today does not look like a cohesive unit capable of easily dealing with strong opponents is undeniable. The question is how far the five-time champions can go in the tournament thanks to the individual qualities of their players. The Japan team will answer many questions, if not all. Here, the situation has been the opposite of Brazil's. Since 2018, the Asian side has been led by Hajime Moriyasu. During this period he has managed to create a distinctive team, unlike any other, able to squeeze the maximum from its advantages and minimize its shortcomings. Even with some misfortune for the Japanese in defending their own goal, the 'Samurai' managed to snatch points from the Netherlands at the start of the tournament. Moriyasu's charges maintain a great tempo in the American heat and control the ball well at the back. They can mount counterattacks that even Morocco cannot match. While Ancelotti ponders how to shape Brazil's attacking line to satisfy the fans of Neymar, Endrick, and other players, Moriyasu clearly knows the formula of the game and the lineup of his team that can beat formidable opponents. Japan, at the very least, will not lose in regular time.