China vs Japan: World Cup Qualifying Match Prediction
The teams of China and Japan will meet in the World Cup qualifiers. The teams can hardly be called direct competitors, since the Japanese are the undisputed leaders of the qualifying group, and China is in fourth place and is trying to cling to the second line. Will the Chinese manage to win their third victory in a row on November 19? The answer is in our forecast for this match.

Command Analysis

China

Current form
Until recently, the Chinese team was considered the main outsider of the group, because after the first three rounds the team did not have a single point, but in the last two matches the Chinese managed to win two victories and immediately entered the fight for the second line. In terms of points, the hosts are second only to Japan, and the Chinese team shares the second position with Australia and Saudi Arabia.
The qualifying round began dismally for China - with a 0:7 defeat to today opponent. Then the representatives of the Celestial Empire lost to Saudi Arabia (1:2) and Australia (1:3). Only recently did the situation begin to improve - Branko Ivankovic team beat Indonesia (2:1) and Bahrain (1:0).
Disqualifications and injuries
China has no problems with its squad ahead of the match with Japan.
Interesting trends for betting
- None of China last six matches have ended in a draw.
- The team has not left the field without scoring a goal in the last four matches
Estimated lineup: Wang - Yang, Zhang, Zhu, Li - Yuanyu, Wang, Lin - Wei - Zhang, Abuweli

Japan

Current form
The Japanese national team remains one of the strongest teams in Asia and has proven this in the current qualifying round. No one doubts that Japan will be able to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. After five matches played, the Japanese are seven points ahead of their closest competitors. The team has played four matches without conceding goals - they managed to win dry victories over China (7:0), Bahrain (5:0), Saudi Arabia (2:0) and Indonesia (4:0). The favorite lost points only in the match with Australia (1:1).
Disqualifications and injuries
The visitors have no problems with their line-up before the match with China.
Interesting trends for betting
- The team has not lost for nine matches in a row.
- The Japanese have not conceded in their last eight victorious matches
Estimated lineup: Suzuki - Itakura, Machida, Hashioka - Doan, Endo, Morita, Mitoma - Minamino, Kamada - Ogawa
Trends
Bet Exact score 0:2
Japan have scored two goals in three of their last five victories against China
7.00Bet At least one team will not score
This bet has played in the last four matches between the teams.
1.67Bet Number 2 in the final score
This pattern has played out in two of China last four matches
2.90Tip and bets
The Japanese are far superior to their opponents in terms of composition, but China is capable of defending itself competently on its home field. The team has played well in recent matches and may well cause problems for the Japanese. We hope that the Chinese have left the defeat in the first round match behind them and will be able to compete with the favorite this time.
Our forecast is Asian handicap (+2.5) on China for 1.65
Bet on total
Japan has already fulfilled its task for this selection and the head coach will probably give a chance to the reserve players, so it is unlikely that we should expect a productive performance from the Japanese. The Chinese do not score many goals even in successful matches, so it makes sense to bet on the total under.
Our prediction is total under 3.5 goals for 1.77
Bet on corners
We don't think that the opponents will rely heavily on corners. Most likely, the teams will attack positionally, so we are unlikely to see many corner flag deliveries.
Our prediction is total under 9.5 corners for 1.83