Tunisia vs. Japan—World Cup: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

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Japan has the knockout phase in sight for what would be a third-successive World Cup, having last failed to escape the group stage in 2014.

The Samurai Blue snatched a late 2–2 draw against the Netherlands in the previous match, fighting back from a goal down to level things up twice, and now faces a more straightforward opponent knowing that victory will all but certainly mean progression.

Tunisia was subjected to the second-heaviest defeat of the opening round of matches when it played Sweden—only Curaçao (7–1 against Germany) lost worse than the 5–1 scoreline. After a similar humiliation in a warmup against Belgium (5–0), it cost manager Sabri Lamouchi his job.

Hervé Renard was swiftly appointed in the hope he brings fresh energy and direction.

Compete against the world. / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Tunisia vs. Japan Score Prediction

Japan All But Confirms Knockout Berth

Japan is more than good enough to win. / Wu Xiaoling/Xinhua/Getty Images

Statistically, accumulating four points equates to a very, very small chance of being eliminated at the group stage—a helpful quirk of the new expanded format.

Japan has drawn once, refusing to give in against a highly-ranked European nation, and now faces a team humiliated so much in its first match that the manager was immediately fired.

Tunisia was a bastion of solidity during qualifying, but was left in disarray by Sweden and that is hard to rectify on the fly. As long as Japan turns up and plays it game, victory is likely.

New manager bounce? How much upside will Tunisia actually experience from firing Lamouchi and bringing in Renard? The suave Frenchman has considerable tournament experience and masterminded Saudi Arabia’s win over Argentina in 2022.
Japan already laid down a marker: By going all the way with the Netherlands, the country widely expected to win the group from the moment the draw was made, Hajime Moriyasu’s team has shown what it is capable of. Tunisia is limited by comparison.

Prediction: Tunisia 1-3 Japan

Tunisia Predicted Lineup vs. Japan

It makes sense with a new manager for changes to happen. / Sports Illustrated

One of the casualties from the Sweden match could be Tunisia goalkeeper Abdelmouhib Chamakh, who made two errors leading to goals. The obvious replacement would be Aymen Dahmen, who fell out of favor after a poor Africa Cup of Nations … two managers ago.

We could also see the introduction of former Paris Saint-Germain talent Ismaël Gharbi to the starting XI on the left wing, as well as a change in system to a more conventional 4-2-3-1.

Tunisia predicted lineup vs. Japan (4-2-3-1) : Dahmen; Valery, Rekik, Talbi, Abdi; Khedira, Skhiri; Achouri, Mejbri, Gharbi; Saad.

Japan Predicted Lineup vs. Tunisia

Who will replace the injured Takefusa Kubo? / Sports Illustrated

Takefusa Kubo was forced out of the Netherlands draw 15 minutes before the end and has been ruled out of this match and potentially the rest of the group stage. The Real Sociedad creator could be replaced by 33-year-old veteran Junya Ito.

Changing things for the sake of it is less likely, beyond the odd tweak.

Japan predicted lineup vs. Tunisia (3-4-2-1): Suzuki; Tomiyasu, Taniguchi, H. Ito; Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura; J. Ito, Maeda; Ueda.

Pick Your World Cup Starting XIs!

What Time Does Tunisia vs. Japan Haiti Kick Off?

Location : Guadalupe, Mexico
Stadium : Estadio BBVA
Date : Saturday, June 20 / Sunday, June 21
Kick-off Time : 12 a.m. ET (June 21) / 9 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. BST (June 21)

How to Watch Tunisia vs. Japan on TV, Live Stream

Country	Broadcaster(s)
United States	FS1, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, FOX One
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, RDS App
Mexico	ViX Mexico
United Kingdom	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website