Khalifa International Stadium will play host to Thursday's FIFA World Cup game between Germany and Japan. The game kicks off at 12:00 am with Germany heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Germany vs. Japan game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Thursday November 24, 2022 at 12:00 am

Where: Khalifa International Stadium

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Germany vs Japan Odds

Germany vs Japan Preview

Germany’s underwhelming round-of-16 departure from Euro 2020 last June followed humiliation at the 2018 World Cup, where Joachim Low’s side finished bottom of a group containing Sweden, Mexico and South Korea.

Low survived the 2018 debacle but departed in the wake of their European Championship exit to England, with Hansi Flick coming in to replace him, but they might get off to a stuttering start against Japan.

The Uefa Champions League-winning former Bayern Munich manager is tasked with rebuilding a squad shorn of established star players such as Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil and Mario Gomez, and the aim is to have the team in peak condition for the 2024 European Championships, to be held in Germany.

Flick’s early work bodes well but issues remain – most notably how to fully exploit their exciting attacking play in the absence of a truly elite goalscorer.

And Germany’s recent Uefa Nations League performances have been patchy, with Die Mannschaft drawing four of their six games and winning only one. Home and away draws against a struggling England side and just one point taken against supposed underdogs Hungary were not what was expected.

However, having taken over a side that in the ten outings prior to his appointment had suffered painful defeats to England and France at the Euros, an embarrassing loss to North Macedonia in World Cup qualifying and a 6-0 mauling against Spain in the 2020-21 Nations League, Flick’s first task was to make Germany hard to beat.

That has been achieved, with his team losing just one of his first 15 matches in charge.

And a settled line-up is emerging, with the three-man defence ditched in favour of a 4-2-3-1 in which Antonio Rudiger and Niklas Sule at centre-back and David Raum at right-back have claimed their places. In midfield, Ilkay Gundogan and Joshua Kimmich bring class and experience.

The forward positions remain a work in progress, with Timo Werner, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and the evergreen Thomas Muller each bringing their own individual qualities but none offering a guarantee of goals.

Opponents Japan are not the most free-scoring themselves but they are a high-energy, technically gifted team who will look to press Germany into mistakes in their own final third.

A likely front three of classy Reims winger Junya Ito, Premier League winner Takumi Minamino and former Werder Bremen striker Yuya Osako – who has been in fine international form this year – offers a blend of pace and trickery that can unsettle any defence.

And Hajime Moriyasu’s side could trouble Die Mannschaft, who are gelling at an impressive rate under Flick but are not yet rock-solid, conceding in all of their Nations League matches.

Japan might not be at Germany’s level but the Japanese squad is made up mostly of players plying their trade in the top European leagues and they have previously proved themselves dangerous underdogs – this will be the seventh consecutive World Cup appearance for the Samurai Blue and they have qualified from the group stage in three of the last five.

In Russia 2018, Japan beat Colombia and drew against Senegal en route to a round of 16 clash with Belgium, taking a 2-0 lead before eventually falling to a heartbreaking 94th-minute 3-2 defeat.

In qualifying, the Japanese recovered from a slow start to the AFC third round to win six consecutive matches – including home and away victories over Australia – and secure their place in Qatar.

And recent friendly performances have been encouraging, too – Moriyasu’s side lost only 1-0 to World Cup favourites Brazil in June – and they could cause a big upset by taking a point. Even if they lose, Japan are good enough to get on the scoresheet, most probably through Osako.

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