International Friendly: Biello Makes Canada Bow in Japan Exhibition

Japan vs Canada

The International Friendly between Japan and Canada presents an opportunity for these two nations to prepare ahead of their important tournaments that will be held later this year.

Japan, which will host this game at the Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata on Friday, will use this as a warm-up ahead of a busy stretch in the next few months.

After facing Canada, they will host Tunisia on Tuesday before competing in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers in November.

On the other hand, Canada will be having a new coach in Mauro Biello, who was appointed on an interim basis after John Herdman left the job last month, and it’ll be interesting to see how he will fare in these next few weeks.

Talking Points

Biello out to prove his coaching credentials

Mauro Biello has so much to do for Canada in so little time. After just three training sessions with his squad, Canada will compete in their only exhibition game against Japan before playing in a couple of pivotal CONCACAF Nations League games in November, which will serve as their qualification for the upcoming Copa America.

The good thing for Les Rouges, though, is that Biello appears unfazed by the bad hand he’s been dealt. After all, he is a proven winner in the American club football scene, and he has significant national team experience, coaching for the U-23 men’s team while serving as one of John Herdman’s top assistants.

So, should he do well in the next few months, we wouldn’t be surprised if he’d be the permanent head coach of Canada, which is something he’s targeting right now.

In this international break, Biello has picked out a strong squad with several surprise inclusions and omissions.

Two of Biello’s surprise additions are Harry Paton and Luc de Fougerolles. Paton’s last call-up was for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, while de Fougerolles is one of Fulham’s brightest young prospects who will turn 18 years old soon.

The biggest absentees for Les Rouges are Ali Ahmed, Nathan Saliba, and Tajon Buchanan, who is currently dealing with a hamstring injury.

Both teams loaded with star power

Canada are still going to be led by Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies, who operate on different sides of the pitch. David is currently Lille’s top scorer with four goals, while Davies continues to occupy the starting left-back role for Bayern Munich.

These two youngsters will surely be a handful against the Samurai Blue because of their searing pace and ball-handling ability.

But make no mistake about it, Japan can certainly keep up against Canada because of their European contingent, and we’re particularly looking at the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Wataru Endo, and Daichi Kamada.

Endo should have fresh legs ahead of this contest because Liverpool gave him the night off against Kaoru Mitoma’s Brighton on Sunday, while Daichi Kamada is already feeling at home at Lazio, having notched one goal and one assist so far this season.

History

Japan and Canada have faced off three times across all competitions prior to this Friday, with the former having the edge in the head-to-heads with two wins and one loss.

Their first matchup was during the group stage of the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Japan beat Canada 3-0. The Samurai Blue went to the finals of the tournament but lost to eventual champions France.

The next two matches between these two nations were friendlies. Japan defeated Canada once again with a 2-1 scoreline in March 2013, before Canada finally won for the first time with the exact same scoreline in November 2022.

Canada and Japan also competed in the World Cup in Qatar last year. Les Rouges failed to make it to the Round of 16 after finishing at the bottom of Group F, whereas Japan made it there, only to lose against Croatia via penalties.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP International Friendly 2023 odds have the hosts as the favourites to win on Friday night. Japan are at 1.52 odds to win, while a Canada victory is at 5.20 and a draw is installed at 3.70 in the 1X2 market.

With a stronger roster on paper, the Samurai Blue squad should be able to win, but Les Rouges are capable of making this tougher than expected. Their past matchups have yielded a handful of goals, so there should be enough International Friendly 2023 highlights to go by this weekend, making Over 2.50 at 1.95 a solid alternative bet.

 

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