Japan vs Senegal Betting Tips

The secnd round of Group H matches in the 2018 World Cup take place on Sunday, June 24th. The first game will be Japan vs Senegal, with Poland vs Colombia immediately following that.

Japan got off to a surprise winning start in the group stages, with a 2-1 victory over Colombia. They ended up not going with the 3-4-2-1 and it was more a 4-2-3-1 they used. However while it was a solid result, it was purely down to the red card issued to Moreno.

That changed the game and not just in terms of an extra man advantage – Colombia had absolutely no idea how to handle filling that void. I was watching on the tactical camera and Colombia couldn’t sort it out especially at the back. So the jury is still out on Japan.

I called over 2.5 goals in Senegal vs Poland which was nice, as Senegal won 2-1. I said that Poland had issues in defense and they clearly did however it was a solid team performance by Senegal. They let Poland hold much of the possession and took their chances and it paid off.

A very interesting game with both teams hoping to seek the win knowing they have theoretically stronger opposition in the final group games.

Japan vs Senegal Betting Odds:

Japan To Win: 3.60
Senegal To Win: 3.20
Draw: 2.30

(Odds on this page are correct as of 2018/06/22 11:04:00 AM EST but are subject to change)

Japan Analysis:

Despite the victory, I wasn’t fully impressed by Japan. I felt a large part of it was the red card and they just did enough to win after that. Letting Colombia back into it was bad, and I think that was the only real difference. I did like their ability to work the ball into the box though.

Another big game changer was the Colombian right back. The guy was brutal and it took a bit but Japan spotted that – at one point they had three guys over there ready to take advantage. He was responsible for the 2nd goal conceded too with a missed header.

So I don’t mean to take anything away from the Japan victory, but they didn’t go up in quality in my estimations. I did think tactically they were solid however and it was good they went with the 4-2-3-1. Their holding midfielders played well in their sports and Nagatomo stayed high up the field and they supported him well.

One other thing is I felt there were some Japan players who had a GREAT day such as Osako, Kagawa and Shibasaki and so it’s a case of if they perform that good again they can be a threat.

I must admit I am conflicted a fair bit about Japan.

Senegal Analysis:

Senegal got a solid victory over Poland however there was a lot of poor play amonst the squad. They came off generally sloppy however even though Poland adjusted their tactics at the half, they still held on and performed well.

What I did like however was their ability to stop Poland. They played a different style of defensive football – they weren’t sitting back narrow and tight and parking the bus like most. They played a wider game. Maybe it’s because they knew Poland really only rely on the one goalscoring outlet but it was an interesting strategy that impressed me.

Niangs passing is also something to behold – very dangerous player there and I get the feeling we’ll see a lot more from him.

Japan vs Senegal Betting Tips:

I am insanely conflicted over this one. Versus a 10 man Colombia I was not overly impressed with Japan yet they made some solid tactical moves and they had some excellent individual performances.

However I appreciated Senegals formation and tactics – it was something different and they have some dangerous players who play deep and wide. It was a very neat take on the 4-4-2.

Of course both these teams could just play for the draw too after those big opening results.

I lean more towards Senegal as overall I felt their tactics were the more impressive and I liked the way they handled Poland. However I could see Japan stepping it up again PLUS Senegals goals were the result of a bad back pass and an OG, so just a small bet on Senegal to win – 0.5u. You can bet this at https://www.Bovada.lv.