With no way of making it through to the round of 16 Poland have nothing to lose going into this game. Whereas Japan, the current leaders of Group H, have everything to lose. A defeat on Thursday could mean Japan’s exit from the competition.
Japan haven’t performed very well in the competition so far. Their game against Columbia saw an early red card that helped them out tremendously. During last week’s game against Senegal the Japanese side missed several chances, including a goal line miss from Yuya Osako that would’ve secured the win.
To say that Poland have struggled in the World Cup would be an understatement. They’ve only managed one goal in the tournament so far despite many chances.
Follow all the live action below…
Live Updates
Please allow a moment for the blog to load…
What time is it?
Japan vs Poland kicks off at 15:00 at the Volgograd Arena.
Where can I watch it?
Live coverage is available on BBC Two and online via the BBC Sport website.
Odds
Japan: 6/4
Poland: 15/8
Draw: 21/10
Prediction
Poland could give Japan the upset needed to through their World Cup hopes into turmoil, they will just need to play much better than they have in their last two outings. Japan will be looking to close out the group stage with a win in order to secure their place. Japan are the favourites to win by a small margin.
