Scotland vs Japan Prediction: Samurai Blue to hand Scots a harsh lesson

Scotland are looking forward to their first appearance at the Fifa World Cup finals since 1998, and they will receive a good warm-up for the summer on Saturday when they take on Japan at Hampden Park (17:00). 

The Samurai Blue have reached the round of 16 at the past two editions of the World Cup and will be a welcome test for Steve Clarke's side. Read on for my Scotland vs Japan predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Winger Ben Gannon-Doak is unavailable for Scotland due to injury. Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour are back in the squad having both missed out on camps towards the end of 2025.

John McGinn and Scott McTominay are involved after recovering from their own issues picked up on club duty. Tommy Conway and teenage wide man Findlay Curtis have been selected to bolster the hosts' forward options.

Football Odds

Japan are without Ajax duo Ko Itakura and Takehiro Tomiyasu due to injury, with Takumi Minamino and Wataru Endo also ruled out.

Premier League duo Kaoru Mitoma and Daichi Kamada are expected to start in Glasgow.

Scotland vs Japan Odds

Scotland are a 21/10 bet to win this clash, which offers good value to punters as they have won their previous three home fixtures.

Seven victories from 10 games also makes Japan an alluring selection at 5/4.

The draw can be backed at 23/10, while BTTS - Yes, a selection that has landed in each of the hosts' past four outings, is marketed at 5/6.

Today's Football Fixtures

Match Result - Japan @ 5/4

I'll admit it took me a while to settle on this selection because both teams have been in excellent form ahead of this clash. Scotland have won eight from 12 and Japan have seven successes from their previous 10 matches, so this should be a very competitive affair at Hampden.

Scotland's improvements in recent years have been clear to see, and they have earned their place back on the biggest stage of all after a 28-year absence. That being said, Saturday's contest comes against a team with more recent experience at that level, and Japan have made their way to the knockout stage of the World Cup in each of the last two editions.

They have competed against the likes of Germany, Spain and Belgium, so I do believe they are more than capable of knocking Scotland's confidence ahead of the summer.

Anytime Goalscorer - Scott McTominay @ 11/4

McTominay has evolved into a leader on the pitch in recent years. Both Scotland and Napoli have seen the benefits as a result. His confidence has also grown, making him more effective in the final third. The midfielder has 14 goals for his country so far.

Interestingly, he has never scored for Scotland in a friendly. Now would be a good time to do so, right? I think he's good value to find the net on Saturday at 11/4 (implied probability of 26.7%) because he has scored in each of his last two home appearances for the Scots.

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