The Tartan Army Welcome The Samurai Blue To Glasgow
Hampden Park | International Friendly | Saturday March 28 | 5pm
Ahead of Saturday’s international friendly, BetVictor News brings you the Scotland vs Japan preview, prediction, H2H record, betting angles and more.
Scotland Vs Japan Preview
After their stunning 4-2 victory over Denmark in November’s final qualifier, Scotland will be hoping to begin their World Cup preparations with another fine display on Saturday afternoon. A trio of stunning goals against the Danes booked the Tartan Army’s spot in this summer’s extravaganza.
Even though the Scots are way down the pecking order when it comes to the World Cup winner betting odds market, just being at the showpiece after iconic strikes from Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean means so much to generations of supporters.
Steve Clarke’s side will face a re-match against Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in Group C but before then, a stern test against Japan awaits. Unlike Scotland who had been absent from the biggest stage since 1998, the Samurai Blue have been present for the last six tournaments.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side recorded famous group stage wins against four-time winners Germany and 2010 victors Spain four years ago. Their journey came to an end in the R16 when Croatia won on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The East Asian side are ranked 19th in the world currently and are extremely tricky opponents to navigate.
Scotland Vs Japan H2H Record
The Scotland vs Japan odds favour the Samurai Blue and the H2H record between the two also sees the scales tilt in the East Asian’s direction. Just the three previous meetings (all friendlies) between the nations with Japan winning once with the remaining two ending in stalemate.
A Christophe Berra own goal and injury-time strike from Keisuke Honda condemned George Burley’s side to 2-0 defeat in-front of 61,500 fans at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohoma back in 2009. The other two results ended goalless.
- 10/10/2009 – Japan 2-0 Scotland
- 13/05/2006 – Japan 0-0 Scotland
- 21/05/1995 – Japan 0-0 Scotland
Scotland Vs Japan Team News
Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour have earned recalls having missed the Autumn fixtures owing to injury. On that topic, Ben Gannon-Doak is one of the major absentees Steve Clarke has to navigate. The Bournemouth winger is still recovering from hamstring surgery.
2025 Ballon d’Or nominee Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Ryan Christie are expected to start in attacking roles. Che Adams will lead the line with Angus Gunn likely to start in goal. He missed the Denmark heroics but should regain his place on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Japan will be missing Ko Itakura, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Take Kubo, Takumi Minamino and captain Wataru Endo. The latter is actually rated 50/50 for the World Cup having undergone ankle surgery.
On a brighter note, highly-rated goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is expected to start. The 23-year-old missed the two autumn victories over Ghana and Bolivia with a broken hand. He is tipped to be one of the stars of the finals this summer.
Scotland Vs Japan Predicted Lineups
Scotland predicted lineup:
Gunn; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; Ferguson, Gilmour; McGinn, McTominay, Christie; Adams
Japan predicted lineup:
Z. Suzuki; Watanabe, J. Suzuki, Taniguchi; Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura; Kubo, Mitoma; Ueda
Scotland Vs Japan Betting Angles
Key Match Stats
- Scotland have never beaten or scored against Japan
- Japan have won their last three international including a 3-2 victory over Brazil in October
- Scotland have lost just once in their last seven, Japan once in their last ten
Top Betting Angles for Scotland Vs Japan
- Japan to win: Japan have never lost to Scotland and start as favourites
- Both Teams to Score: Scotland’s last four games saw both teams score and over 2.5 goals
- Late goals: 15 of the last 18 goals in games featuring Scotland occurred after the break.
Scotland Vs Japan Prediction
Both Scotland and Japan are in strong form and this fixture will be an excellent dress rehearsal for both sides before the World Cup. Despite a number of injuries, the Blue Samurai still have an abundance of quality to rely upon and should shade what will likely be a tight contest.
Prediction: Scotland 1-2 Japan
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