Tunisia vs Japan Predicted Lineups & Team News

Both Tunisia and Japan failed to win their opening matches in Group F and the pressure is on ahead of this clash in matchday two.

The nations meet at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on Saturday evening 10pm local time (5am BST on Sunday).

Which players will the managers pick though? Let’s investigate with the team news, key players and Predicted Lineups ahead of Tunisia vs Japan…

Tunisia

Ahead of their first match against Sweden, Tunisia were looking to make it back-to-back World Cup victories having defeated France in the final group match four years ago.

However, 90 minutes later and that dream was dead in the water as the Swedes strolled to a routine 5-1 win in Monterrey.

On paper, that was perhaps their easiest tie and things are only going to get tougher from here on in.

That defeat saw coach Sabri Lamouchi dismissed and replaced by Frenchman Herve Renard in what is his third successive World Cup as a manager.

He famously led Saudi Arabia to that win over Argentina in Qatar and another moment of magic like that could prove seismic.

These two nations met at the 2002 World Cup, with Tunisia suffering a 2-0 loss. The Eagles of Carthage have only won one of the four matchups against Japan since then.

Japan

Japan were viewed as a dark horse heading into this tournament and fought back well to snatch a share of the spoils against the Netherlands during their opening match.

A win against the African side would all but secure a place in the knockout stages for the third consecutive World Cup, but despite that impressive record, the Samurai Blue have never reached a World Cup quarter-final.

The onus is on, then, Hajime Moriyasu's side to become the first Japanese team to reach that stage. Given the squad at his disposal, there is no reason to believe otherwise.

Remember you can bet on this match and check out all of the live Tunisia vs Japan Odds over on betfred.com

Tunisia vs Japan Key Players:

Key Players

Ellyes Skhiri (Tunisia)

Eintracht Frankfurt's Ellyes Skhiri is appearing at his third World Cup and he has the most caps out of anyone in the current squad.

Not quite at his best against Sweden, where he was deployed in a midfield three, Renard could drop him slightly deeper should he move from a back five to a back four against the Japanese.

Moving him deeper would give Tunisia some solidity at the heart of the pitch and Skhiri averaged three ball recoveries and won 53% of his ground duels for Frankfurt last season.

He could be vital for Renard across the next two matches.

Ayase Ueda (Japan)

Striker Ayase Ueda  failed to get on the scoresheet against the Netherlands last time out, but he might have more chances in this match.

He scored an impressive tally of 26 goals in 40 appearances for Feyenoord last season and the 27-year-old also has a solid record for the national team.

Across just 40 caps, Ueda has scored 16 goals, including one against Brazil last year.

If he gets the service against the Eagles of Carthage, expect him to open his World Cup account.

For all of our coverage and betting markets for the festival of football this summer, please check out our World Cup Odds over on betfred.com