Preview: Japan vs. Tunisia - prediction, team news, lineups

It is the fifth-ever meeting between the two sides, with Tuesday's hosts coming out on top in three of the four previous encounters.

Match preview

Japan have not been in competitive action for quite some time, with their most recent meaningful match coming against Croatia, exiting the World Cup due to a narrow loss at the round of 16 stage.

However, the Samurai Blue have looked very impressive in the friendlies they have played since then, losing just one of their last seven games, and they are now on a run of five-straight wins.

During that time, Hajime Moriyasu's side have looked particularly formidable in an attacking sense, scoring 22 goals, and they have managed to pick up victories against some top European sides.

Back in September, Japan notched a 4-1 victory against Germany at the Volkswagen Arena, before going on to beat Turkey 4-2 in Genk, with Atsuki Ito and Keito Nakamura both bagging braces.

Last time out, the Samurai Blue continued their fantastic run of form with a 4-1 victory against Canada at the Denka Big Swan Stadium, so they should be full of confidence heading into Sunday's game.

Tunisia, on the other hand, did not look as impressive in their last match, losing 4-0 against South Korea in an international friendly after failing to record a shot on target in the entire match.

However, before their last match, there had been some promising signs for the Eagles of Carthage, defeating Egypt 3-1 back in September, while they have also secured qualification for the African Cup of Nations.

Jalel Kadri's side breezed through a group containing Equatorial Guinea, Botswana and Libya, finishing on 13 points after six games, which meant they came top, booking their place in the tournament which is set to take place in January.

Tunisia will be setting out to win the African Cup of Nations for the first time since 2004, and Tuesday's game will be an opportunity to test themselves against good quality opposition, ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Sao Tome & Principe and Malawi in November.

Japan friendly form:

L

W

W

W

W

W

Tunisia friendly form:

D

W

L

Tunisia form (all competitions):

W

L

D

W

W

L

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Team News

Ao Tanaka has been in very impressive form for Japan recently, scoring three goals in his last three games, and the 25-year-old should get the nod in midfield alongside Wataru Endo and Junya Ito.

As the Samurai Blue were in action a few days ago, Moriyasu may choose to experiment with his squad a little more, and Kyogo Furuhashi could be brought in for Takuma Asano in attack.

Tunisia may also make a few changes, given that they were on the receiving end of a heavy defeat last time out, and Yan Valery could replace Ali Maaloul at right-back.

Considering Tuesday's game will be a tough test for the Eagles of Carthage, Kadri may call upon some of his more experienced players, and Mohamed Ben Romdhane could replace Hannibal Mejbri in midfield.

Japan possible starting lineup:

Osako; Maikuma, Taniguchi, Machida, Nakayama; Ito, Endo, Tanaka; Minamino, Furuhashi, Nakamura

Tunisia possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Meriah, Talbi, Abdi; Kechrida, Laidouni, Skhiri, Maaloul; Mejbri, Msakni, Achouri

We say: Japan 4-1 Tunisia

Japan have scored a minimum of four goals in their last five matches, and they have defeated some top-quality sides, most notably Germany and Turkey.

As such, Tuesday's game is likely to be a high-scoring affair, and we expect the hosts to secure a comfortable victory.

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