Both Greece and Japan are coming off losses and in need of a bounce back is there is any hope they can advance in the World Cup. Both teams are the darkhorses of Group C and they looked exactly that in the opening games. Greece was blown out 3-0 by Columbia and Japan gave up a one goal lead to the Ivory Coast to fall. Japan hopes to replicate that offensive success and capitalize off a shaken Greece team.
If Greece plans on advancing, they must first win against Japan and then beat the Ivory Coast which is a tall task considering they are a favorite to advance. It is expected that Fernando Santos will make several lineup adjustments heading into the match against Japan. Striker Kostas Mitroglou will earn the start over Fanis Gekas while Giannis Fetfatzidis will see a majority of the playing time at the wing position. Greece is prepping for needing the be defensive game they can give. Already not a high-scoring team, they must prevent Japan of having their offensively. Greece lacks passing and pace to matchup with Japan so they need to win the battle of possession instead.
Japan is favored in this matchup simply because they have the offense to compete. They will rely on speed and pressing to break through Greece the way they did first against Ivory Coast before giving up two quick goals and earning the loss. Keisuke Honda and Yuto Nagatomo need to step up after falling short in the second half of their first game. They have the attacking presence to get up quickly against a weak Greece defensive unit while their pressing skills should give the team headaches all day.
Greece does not have history in their favor. The team has only won once in their last seven World Cup matches. Despite being Euro champs in 2004, they have a 2-18 record in this tournament. Greece's confidence is already shaken and if they are unable to step up to the challenge, they will be eliminated from play.
