Japan vs Ghana preview, prediction, team news, and head-to-head

As both teams have qualified for the global tournament next year, this international break provides a great opportunity for them to keep fit and strengthen their respective squad.

Japan will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the tournament, as they have only experienced defeat once in their qualification journey. The Blue Samurai's last outing was a 3-2 victory against the talented Brazilian team.

No team can underestimate Hajime Moriyasu’s men as they have proven to be a very good attacking side, while still maintaining a solid defence line. They were able to qualify for the World Cup by scoring 30 goals and conceding only 3 goals, while topping the group.

The Ghanaian team is one of the first African teams to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. The black stars were able to garner 25 points from the WC qualification round with 8 wins (D1, L1) from 10 games.

Although this is a friendly match, the Ghanian team will ensure to win the fixture in order to keep the momentum high. The West African team has only lost twice in their last 10 matches, with both losses against the Super Eagles, including a 2-1 Jollof Derby in May.

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Both the Asian and African countries have met only five times in history. Japan has a slight H2H edge with three wins (1D, 2L).

Three out of their five meetings have seen both teams find the back of the net. While the two sides are yet to meet in a competitive tournament, the last time they met, Japan enjoyed a thrilling 4-1 victory in the semi-final of the Kirin Cup.

With Kaoru Mitoma out due to injury, coach Moriyasu will be delighted to have both Wataru Endo and Daichi Kamada back in the squad and ready to face the Ghanaians.

The coach still has a lot of quality options to use in both the midfield and attack. Kaishu Sano and Keito Nakamura will control the midfield, while Koki Ogawa will likely start as the lead attacker.

For the Black Stars, Otto Addo has a couple of players who are sidelined due to injuries. The coach will be without Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, and veteran attacker Jordan Ayew.

We will likely see the manager give an opportunity to younger players like Kelvin Nkrumah and Prince Kwabena Adu, who will hope to get valuable minutes in the game.

Japan: Suzuki; Seko, Suzuki, Watanabe; Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura; Minamino, Kubo; Ogawa

Ghana: Ati Zigi; Mensah, Seidu, Salisu, Yirenkyi; Sibo, Sulemana; Baah, Annan, Semenyo; Nkrumah

Japan and Ghana are teams with sharp attackers and high goal-scoring ability. However,  the Blue Samurais are slight favourites because they have been more consistent and are playing at home.

Since this is a friendly match, you should not expect heavy tackles as the players will be careful not to pick up an injury.

Prediction: Japan 2-1 Ghana

• Japan to win

• Both teams to score - Yes

• Over 2.5 goals