Japan vs Thailand

Japan National Stadium sets the stage for an exciting international friendly between Japan and Thailand.

An understrength Japanese team, mostly comprised of players for the domestic championship, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, should still have enough quality to maintain a formidable eight-game winning streak, a run dating back to June 2023. The ‘Samuari Blue’ rained down the goals at an incredible rate during that eight-game sequence, netting 4+ goals on seven occasions, which is not to be underestimated, knowing Germany, Peru, and Turkey were among the sides to have fallen victim to Japan’s unparalleled scoring prowess. Hajime Moriyasu’s side reigned supreme during November’s international break, dispatching Myanmar and Syria via an identical 5-0 scoreline to get their FIFA 2024 World Cup qualifying off to a stellar start. With Japan winning their last five H2Hs against Thailand by multi-goal margins, another thumping victory is on the cards.

On the other hand, damage control will be at the forefront of Thailand’s minds not only because of those five abovementioned defeats but the fact they’ve lost seven straight H2Hs since 1993 by an aggregate score of 19-2. A glimmer of hope appeared at the end of the tunnel toward the end of November as the ‘War Elephants’ arrested a four-game winless streak (D1, L3) with a precious 3-1 win at Singapore to put first points on the board in 2024 World Cup qualifying. But it’s been seven matches since Thailand last kept a clean sheet, casting significant doubt on their bid to register a shutout against Japan’s free-flowing attack. They’ll at least hope to reply on the other end of the pitch after finding the back of the net in 12 of their last 13 internationals.