Japan vs Colombia
SBOBET fans have a lot of exciting football action to look forward to despite the major football leagues in the world taking a quick rest due to the international break. The world’s top stars take the chance of representing their nations in the international stage.
While all of the attention is currently on the start of the Euro 2020 qualifiers, the Kirin Challenge Cup that should grab the attention of any well-meaning football fan. There is an Asian country preparing for an interesting voyage across the Pacific.
They will be playing in the Copa America in the summer, and the Japanese FA felt compelled to prepare the Blue Samurai with friendlies against opponents that would give them a feel of how South American football plays like.
The first of these two friendlies is against an exciting team in Colombia. They will be playing a Los Cafeteros squad that is undergoing transition, and this promises a lot of interesting Kirin Challenge Cup 2019 news in the run-up and the aftermath.
Join the SBOBET football team as we give this game a look and check out the Samurai Blue’s chances against one of the world’s biggest hotbeds of football talent.
Talking Points
Colombia’s Queiroz era begins
Colombia have always produced some of the more exciting talents to ever grace the pitch, but their treasure trove of talent hasn’t always translated to international success. While they manage to perform in the various iterations of the Copa America, they always stumble when it comes to the World Cup.
It is important to mention that Jose Pekerman’s stint with La Tricolor was the team’s most successful years to date. They qualified for the 2014 and 2018 World Cup and were in top shape during the 2015 and 2016 versions of the Copa. However, the Argentine’s stint as Colombia boss soon came to an end after Colombia’s heartbreaking Round-Of-16 exit in Russia.
Colombia saw relative success with Arturo Reyes as the Colombian FA searched for the man who will lead the team in earnest. The four-month search ended with the hiring of Carlos Queiroz, and his wealth of experience in club and international football should serve the team well.
He has an exciting gallery of players he can choose from. Yerry Mina, Juan Cuadrado, and Radamel Falcao are just some of the top players he can field. The Portuguese man will be looking forward to fitting the resurgent James Rodriguez to his side as well.
Unfortunately, he will be going to the Nissan Stadium without one of his more important players. Juan Quintero ruptured his ACL while playing for River Plate and will be sitting out for at least six months.
Samurai Blue ready their blades
A casual football fan would not think of Japan as a premier spot for scouting football talent, but devoted fans of the Beautiful Game know that there is a lot of fantastic Japanese players that can bring the game to their South American foes.
After all, they showcased their indomitable heart to the world after bringing Belgium to the limit in Russia. If they show Colombia the same ferocity, I don’t see why the Samurai Blue could not get the win. Moreover, their strong AFC Asian Cup showing was only eclipsed by Qatar’s fairy-tale victory.
Yokohama and the entire Japanese nation will be counting on a lot of their young players as much of the old guard — led by the well-traveled Keisuke Honda — will soon be out the door. Yuya Osako, Genki Haraguchi, Maya Yoshida, and Gaku Shibasaki will be leading the charge against Los Cafeteros.
History
These two have only faced each other four times. The first time they met was in the 2003 Confederations Cup where a Giovani Hernandez goal brought Colombia the victory. Their next match was a goalless draw in the 2007 Kirin Cup.
Their latest matches occurred in the World Cup. Colombia stomped Japan in the 2014 World Cup group stage as James Rodriguez showed off. The Samurai Blue got even in Russia last year as Yuya Osako tripped Colombia in their rematch.
Betting Tip
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Japan vs Colombia | 2-3 Total Goals @ 1.82 |
| March 22, 18:20(GMT+8) |
There are a lot of interesting Kirin Challenge Cup 2019 odds available at SBOBET, but this Japan-Colombia game is shaping up to become one of the more interesting games to watch this side of the globe.
There’s no question that Colombia will be slight favourites in most — if not all — betting markets. After all, they have some of the most outstanding attacking players in the world. However, Japan have proven themselves to be a resolute bunch that can put up a fight.
It will be interesting to see how this match pans out.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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