Kick-off: 1200, 03/08/2021
Stadium: Saitama Stadium
Spain found their shooting boots just in time to see off Ivory Coast and can build on that by beating Japan in the Olympics semi-finals.
The hosts did well during the group phase but failed to impress when only getting past New Zealand on penalties at the last-eight stage.
Punters can get 21/20 for La Rojita to prevail in normal time and that is our first Japan vs Spain prediction.
A Look At Japan’s Betting Odds
Japan advanced from Group A with a 100 per cent record, scoring seven times and conceding only once.
They beat South Africa 1-0 and Mexico 2-1 before a 4-0 drubbing of France saw their outright odds tumble.
However, the manner in which they only edged out New Zealand on penalties following a goalless stalemate in the quarter-finals was disappointing.
Ritsu Doan of PSV went close in the first half and Real Madrid’s Takefusa Kubo had a shot saved in extra-time, but chances were few and far between in a tepid affair.
Japan are captained by former Southampton defender Maya Yoshida and also have ex-Marseille full-back Hiroki Sakai to keep things tight at the rear.
They could help to keep the first half goalless, which is fair value at 17/10 from the Japan vs Spain odds.
A Look At Spain’s Betting Odds
Much like the senior team at Euro 2020, Spain struggled to translate possession into chances during the pool stage.
They managed to top Group C, but only drew with Egypt and Argentina either side of a 1-0 win over Australia.
That form led us to believe their quarter-final with Ivory Coast would be a close contest and we were proved right for a long time, collecting on a couple of successful selections.
RB Leipzig forward Dani Olmo cancelled out Eric Bailly’s early opener, but Les Elephants looked to have snatched it through Max Gradel’s 91st-minute strike.
However, there was still time for Rafa Mir to rescue La Rojita and he went on to complete a hat-trick in extra-time.
Mikel Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad was also on target as Spain ultimately ran out 5-2 winners.
Unai Simon, Pau Torres, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Olmo and Oyarzabal all travelled here from Euro 2020, while former Arsenal loanee Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio of Real Madrid are also present in a strong squad.
If Luis de la Fuente can instill a little more urgency in his side going forward during regulation play, they can prove a cut above.
Let’s add 7/2 for La Rojita to win and under 2.5 goals in the game to our Japan vs Spain betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
JAPAN 0-0 New Zealand (AET, 4-2 on pens)
SPAIN 5-2 Ivory Coast (AET) – Olmo, Mir (3), Oyarzabal
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