Preview: China vs. Japan – prediction, team news, lineups

Chinalooking to improve their chances of qualifying for 2026 FIFA WCis set to host AFC-qualifying Group C leaders Japan Tuesday afternoon.

The hosts are fourth in the table after five games, joint on six points with Australia and Saudi Arabia, while the visitors top the group with 13 points from five outings.

Match preview

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China played in their only FIFA World Cup final in 2002 when they finished bottom of their group after losing all three matches and conceding nine goals without scoring once.

The Dragon Team advanced to the third round of the AFC qualifiers by finishing second in their group in the second round, finishing third in Thailand thanks to a superior head-to-head record of one win and one draw after both teams ended with eight points.

Branko Ivankovicappointed in February 2024, saw his team placed in a challenging third round group with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia.

After a challenging start in which China lost their first three matches, 7-0 to Japan, 2-1 to Saudi Arabia and 3-1 to Australia, Ivankovic’s men have since bounced back with back-to-back wins.

They beat Indonesia 2-1 and Bahrain 1-0 to see them climb to fourth place and keep alive their hopes of a top-two finish that would give them automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Three points against Japan on Tuesday would massively boost their chances of qualification, with the visitors arguably the strongest team in the group, but China will be huge underdogs heading into this one.

Japan have dominated Group C, winning four and drawing one of their five matches to sit top of the table with 13 points, seven ahead of second-placed Australia, while boasting an impressive goal record of 19 scored and just 1 collected.

Hajime MoriyasuThe team dropped points for the first time in October when they drew 1-1 against Australia, but Samurai Blue bounced back brilliantly to win with a 4-0 win against Indonesia last time out.

Japan are now looking to move a step closer to securing a place at their eighth consecutive World Cup tournament, having qualified for every edition since hosting the tournament in 2002, and Japan are looking for a win here.

China WC Qualification – Asia form:

Japan World Cup Qualifying – Asia form:

Team news

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Shangyuan Wang and Lee Lee were both taken off with injuries in China’s 1-0 win against Bahrain last time out, leaving both doubtful for this match.

Yuning Zhang has scored in each of China’s two Group C wins and the striker is likely to start in the side Baihelamu Abuduwaili on Tuesday.

As for the visitors, they secured a comfortable 4-0 win against Indonesia in their last match and Moriyasu could choose to name a similar side here.

Kyogo Furuhashi hasn’t featured for Japan since scoring in a 2-0 win against Tunisia in October 2023 and the forward could be in line for a start here.

China’s possible starting line-up:
D Wang; Yang, Jiang, Zhu, Hu; Li, H Wang, Lin; Wei; Zhang, Abuduwaili

Japan’s possible starting line-up:
Suzuki; Hashioka, Itakura, Machida; Doan, Endo, Morita, Mitoma; Minamino, Kamada; Furuhashi

We say: China 0-4 Japan

Japan have been dominant in Group C after five matches, including securing a 7-0 win against China in the reverse fixture in September, and we expect a similarly comfortable victory for the visitors here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match, please click here.

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