Scotland vs Japan – News and Probable Lineups

Both set to compete in this summer’s World Cup, Scotland and Japan will kick off their preparations with a friendly match at Hampden Park this Saturday evening.

Having secured automatic entry into the tournament, the two countries are focusing on the upcoming global event, with their opening group fixtures scheduled for June 14.

Match overview

Scotland marked their return to the World Cup after 28 years by triumphing in a spectacular finale of Group C, narrowly defeating their rivals Denmark in a thrilling match at Hampden.

In an intensely charged atmosphere, Scott McTominay’s remarkable overhead kick set the pace, despite Denmark leveling twice during the match in Glasgow.

Ultimately, a stunning finish by Kieran Tierney and a brilliant long-range effort from Kenny McLean swung the game in Scotland’s favor during injury time, igniting celebrations throughout the nation.

During these past 28 years, Steven Clarke has managed the team for seven of those years, and his next challenge involves preparing a seasoned squad to take on Brazil, Morocco, and Haiti in the final tournament.

In preparation, Scotland will face Japan this weekend before heading to Liverpool to compete against Ivory Coast next Tuesday.

They enter this friendly having secured eight victories in their last 12 outings, following a difficult stretch that saw only one win accompanied by 10 losses across their previous 16 matches.

While the Scots did secure a victory in their most recent friendly in June, defeating Liechtenstein 4-0, they remain without a win at home since 2016, making Saturday’s match a chance to finally break that trend.

On the other hand, Japan has demonstrated a significantly stronger record in their recent friendlies, notably achieving victories over Brazil, Ghana, and Bolivia last autumn.

Moreover, the Samurai Blue have emerged victorious in five of their last six encounters with European teams, netting four goals in each of the last two matches—claiming wins of 4-1 against Germany and 4-2 versus Turkey.

Having navigated through AFC qualifiers smoothly, Japan boasts seven wins from their last 10 matches overall, indicating a formidable offense that could create challenges this summer.

Hajime Moriyasu’s team accumulated 23 points from 10 qualifiers, averaging three goals per match while conceding only three, thus ensuring direct qualification with three rounds to spare.

After scoring nine more goals across their last three friendlies, they are eager to maintain that momentum ahead of their World Cup Group F matches against the Netherlands, Tunisia, and a UEFA playoff victor.

Now starting a brief tour of the UK—confronting England next Tuesday—Japan will meet Scotland for only the fourth time, following two scoreless draws and a 2-0 victory.

Team News

Scotland’s head coach Clarke is without the services of speedy winger Ben Gannon-Doak, but he has called back Everton’s right-back Nathan Patterson—who was absent in the autumn due to injury—alongside Napoli’s Billy Gilmour, who missed the November matches.

Scott McTominay, who plays for the same club as Gilmour, as well as Aston Villa captain John McGinn, have both returned from recent injuries; interestingly, McTominay has netted an impressive 14 goals for Scotland but hasn’t scored in 11 friendlies.

The hosts have also refreshed their attacking options with the inclusion of Tommy Conway and young winger Findlay Curtis; however, no players from Hearts or Motherwell have been called up despite their strong performances in the Scottish Premiership.

At 42 years of age, Craig Gordon started against Denmark but has now been replaced, as first-choice keeper Angus Gunn has regained fitness; concurrently, Japan’s goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is also back after recovering from a serious hand injury.

Ajax duo Ko Itakura and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both absent this month, along with Take Kubo, Takumi Minamino, and injured captain Wataru Endo—who underwent ankle surgery and is racing against time to be fit for the World Cup.

Daizen Maeda will be looking to face some of his Celtic teammates in Glasgow, where Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda is expected to lead the attack, supported by Take Kubo, who has provided 16 assists in his last 25 international caps.

Scotland probable starting XI:

Gunn; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; Ferguson, Gilmour; McGinn, McTominay, Christie; Adams

Japan probable starting XI:

Z. Suzuki; Watanabe, J. Suzuki, Taniguchi; Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura; Kubo, Mitoma; Ueda

Ranked 19 places higher than their Scottish counterparts in FIFA’s rankings, Japan has shown to be a formidable opponent in recent months, equipped with the firepower to challenge Scotland effectively.

Thus, the sharp Samurai Blue may dampen the celebratory atmosphere at Hampden by claiming their fourth consecutive friendly victory.