Despite the defense struggling in the first half against Vietnam, Japan were able to start off Asian Cup play with an emphatic 4-2 victory while their opponents for Friday, Iraq, also cruised to victory against Indonesia. It will be quite the match as the winner will secure a place in the knockout stage of the tournament while the loser will have to go to the final matchday to decide their fate. With the uptick in opportunity from their opening matches, this will also be a good time for each to test their title credentials.
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Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday, Jan. 19 | Time: 6:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Education City Stadium -- Al Rayyan, Qatar
- TV: None | Live stream: Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
- Odds: Iraq +1000; Draw +550; Japan -425
Storylines
Iraq: Defending against Japan is one of the toughest jobs in the world but Iraq can lean on their goal scoring abilities. The two teams haven't met since 2017 in a draw in World Cup qualifying but Iraq has scored 12 goals in their last five matches while only conceding five. That even includes a 1-0 loss to South Korea so this isn't a team that has been over matched when facing top opposition.
Japan: This is a team scoring for fun out there. Japan have scored four or more goals in each of their last five matches as no matter how many goals they've conceded, there has been no issue putting the ball into the back of the net. There's a reason why Japan are favorites in the tournament and the scoring abilities are why. If Japan allow two goals or fewer, they're quite hard to stop.
Prediction
Fueled by a big first half, Japan will ride an early lead to victory Pick: Iraq 1, Japan 4
