Japan vs Venezuela - prediction, team news, lineups

The Japan nationalist shot squad hosts the Venezuela nationalist shot squad successful a Kirin Challenge Cup 2026 affable astatine Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima connected Monday.

It is the 5th planetary gathering betwixt the 2 nations and the archetypal since Japan's circular of 32 exit astatine the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Hajime Moriyasu utilizing the fixture to widen his excavation of options earlier adjacent January's AFC Asian Cup.

Match preview

Moriyasu's broadside get afloat of assurance aft a 3-1 triumph implicit Uruguay astatine the Q&A Stadium successful Miyagi connected Thursday, a effect that spoiled Diego Forlan's archetypal lucifer successful complaint of La Celeste.

Kuryu Matsuki broke the deadlock successful the 11th infinitesimal with a low, left-footed decorativeness acceptable up by a cross-field walk from Keito Nakamura, earlier Maxi Araujo levelled for Uruguay successful the 42nd minute.

Japan had to hold until second-half stoppage clip for their winning moments, with Kento Shiogai converting a speedy partition walk and Ayase Ueda pursuing up soon aft with a decorativeness from much than 35 yards.

The triumph arrived little than 3 months aft Japan's World Cup run ended successful decision to Brazil, and it gave Moriyasu a level to physique a new-look squad astir elder figures specified arsenic Ritsu Doan and Daichi Kamada.

Ueda, present with LOSC Lille, has 19 goals successful 44 appearances for the Samurai Blue, a instrumentality that keeps him archetypal prime done the mediate careless of who other starts.

Off the pitch, this four-match planetary model doubles arsenic an audition for the Asian Cup squad, with uncapped players including Kaina Tanimura, Shuto Nakano and Shunsuke Saito handed their archetypal elder call-ups this month.

Oswaldo Vizcarrondo's broadside caput to Hiroshima having not played since a 2-0 triumph distant to Iraq connected June 9, erstwhile Cristian Casseres and Jesus Ramirez scored either broadside of fractional time.

The three-month spread is by plan alternatively than accident, with Vizcarrondo naming a 34-man squad for a wider Asian circuit that continues against South Korea connected October 2 and Jordan connected October 6.

La Vinotinto person again omitted the experienced trio of Salomon Rondon, Yeferson Soteldo and Jefferson Savarino, continuing a enactment argumentation Vizcarrondo has held since the FIFA Series matches against Iraq and Turkiye earlier this year.

Vizcarrondo, capped much than 80 times arsenic a centre-back during his ain playing career, was promoted from caretaker to imperishable caput manager successful January and remains focused connected squad improvement alternatively than results alone.

Venezuela person ne'er reached a FIFA World Cup, and a affable against a broadside that bushed Uruguay 4 days earlier offers a genuine measuring instrumentality for a squad inactive built astir Real Sociedad midfielder Yangel Herrera and Inter Miami's Telasco Segovia.

Their astir caller results earlier that travel to the United States were a 1-2 nonaccomplishment to Turkiye and a goalless gully with Uzbekistan settled connected penalties, some astatine the extremity of March, truthful consistency remains a enactment successful advancement nether Vizcarrondo.

Japan International Friendly form:

Japan signifier (all competitions):

Venezuela International Friendly form:

Venezuela signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Crystal Palace defender Takehiro Tomiyasu volition miss the lucifer aft the Japan Football Association confirmed connected Wednesday that a calf injury, picked up successful Palace's goalless gully with Leeds United, would regularisation him retired of some Kirin Challenge Cup fixtures arsenic good arsenic October's Kirin Cup matches.

Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who missed the Uruguay triumph wholly due to the fact that of a rib wounded carried into campy from Aston Villa, returned to afloat grooming with the radical connected Friday and is present expected to beryllium restored successful extremity up of Tomoki Hayakawa, who deputised successful Miyagi.

Beyond those 2 fittingness notes, Moriyasu named a 31-man squad built astir the 20 players who featured astatine the World Cup, truthful Takefusa Kubo, Ao Tanaka and Junya Ito are each disposable for selection.

For Venezuela, midfielder Daniel Pereira, who plays his nine shot for CF Montreal, is portion of the 34-man squad, though helium is simply a uncertainty to commencement due to the fact that of a fittingness concern.

Vizcarrondo has again near retired Rondon, Soteldo and Savarino, meaning attacking work falls connected David Martinez, Jesus Ramirez and Kevin Kelsy, nary of whom transportation Rondon's grounds of 50 planetary goals.

West Ham United winger Keiber Lamadrid was near retired of the squad wholly due to the fact that of wounded erstwhile Vizcarrondo made his announcement connected September 15, leaving Nahuel Ferraresi and Teo Quintero arsenic the elder options astatine the back.

Japan imaginable starting lineup:

Suzuki; Itakura, H. Ito, Seko; J. Ito, Tanaka, Kaishu Sano, Doan; Kamada, Kubo; Ueda

Venezuela imaginable starting lineup:

Varela; Ferraresi, Balbo, Quintero, Sanchez; Libra, Herrera; Mendoza, Segovia, Martinez; Ramirez

We say: Japan 2-0 Venezuela

Japan person mislaid lone erstwhile successful their past 5 matches, a circular of 32 exit to Brazil, either broadside of which they bushed Tunisia 4-0, drew with the Netherlands and Sweden, and returned to winning ways against Uruguay, a tally that has brought 11 goals scored and six conceded.

History offers small successful the mode of a wide favourite, since 5 erstwhile meetings person produced 3 draws, 1 Japan triumph awarded aft Venezuela fielded a suspended subordinate successful 2014, and 1 4-1 Venezuela triumph astatine the 2019 Kirin Challenge Cup, truthful caller momentum alternatively than head-to-head grounds should determine this 1 successful the hosts' favour.