World Cup 2018: Japan vs Poland team news, prediction and preview for Group H decider
It may be a dead rubber for point-less Poland but they can play a role in who progresses from Group H
HISTORY suggests Japan may be about to pile more misery on Poland.
In qualifying, Poland failed to win just twice and scored an average of 2.8 goals per game. But when the pressure was on they fell flat.
Japan and Poland have met just twice at World Cups and Poland have conceded seven goals and scored none.
They're heading home after Thursday's game but can still have a say on the outcome of Group H.
Japan lead the group but can still be eliminated on goal difference should they be significantly beaten by Poland and Colombia beat Senegal.
Poland boss Adam Nawalka will want to salvage some reputation after the humbling 3-0 defeat against Colombia on Sunday.
But Japan possess plenty of talent in Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda to add to the history books.
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Japan have won each of their two encounters against Poland, winning 5-0 in February 1996 and 2-0 in March 2002.
Japan have failed to score in four of their last five World Cup games against European opponents (W1 D2 L2), with their only goals coming in a 3-1 victory over Denmark in 2010.
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Poland’s only World Cup meeting with an Asian side came in 2002 – losing 2-0 in the group stages against South Korea.
Keisuke Honda’s goal against Senegal made him the first Japanese player to score at three different World Cup tournaments (2010, 2014, 2018).
Poland became the first European nation eliminated from the 2018 World Cup when they lost to Colombia – this is the third consecutive World Cup tournament they’ve gone out at the group stage (also 2002 and 2006).
Takashi Inui has scored three goals in his last three games for Japan; this after scoring just two in his previous 26 matches for the national team.
Poland are looking to avoid losing all three of their World Cup group games for the first time.
Japan haven’t gone undefeated in three consecutive World Cup games since 2002 – those three unbeaten games were all in the group stage as they qualified for Round 2.
Poland haven’t kept a clean sheet at the World Cup since winning 1-0 against Portugal in 1986, conceding 23 goals across 10 games since then.
Japan have scored four goals at the 2018 World Cup, double the amount they managed in 2014; in only one previous tournament have they ever scored more, netting five in 2002 when they were joint-hosts with South Korea.