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Bahrain and Japan face off at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday (January 31) in the Round of 16 of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
With six points in five games, Bahrain finished first in Group E, despite starting their campaign with a 3-1 defeat to South Korea. In their next two games, the Pearl Divers secured a pair of 1-0 wins over Malaysia and Jordan, with Korea drawing their next two games to slip to second.
For the second straight time, Bahrain have reached the Asian Cup knockouts, having gone out in the first round in the previous three.
Meanwhile, Japan, rather surprisingly, finished second in a group featuring Iraq, Indonesia and Vietnam. Ranked 17th in the world, the Samurai Blue, the highest ranked side in the cup, began their campaign with a 4-2 defeat of Vietnam, but fell 2-1 to a spirited Iraq side on matchday two.
It was a shock loss, but Hajime Moriyasu's side recovered to beat Indonesia 3-1 in their final group fixture to reach the knockouts.
Bahrain vs Japan Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- In 12 previous clashes, Japan have won nine times and lost just twice.
- Bahrain's last win over Japan came in January 2009, a 1-0 victory in an Asian Cup qualifier. Since then, Japan have beaten them twice, 1-0 in March 2009 and 2-0 in March 2010.
- Japan and Bahrain meet for the first time in nearly 14 years.
- Japan have lost just one of their last 13 games, winning 12.
- Japan, along with Iraq and South Korea, were the most prolific sides in the group stage with eight goals.
- After losing four straight games, Bahrain have won their next two.
Bahrain vs Japan Prediction
Bahrain will be confident after back-to-back wins. Their defence has looked resilient as they look to shut down Japan's menacing attack. However, the Samurai Blue are cut from a different cloth and should edge them out, albeit narrowly.
Prediction: Bahrain 1-2 Japan
Bahrain vs Japan Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Japan
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
