Both of these sides had very healthy corner counts during qualifying:

Netherlands - 6.50 corners per game
Japan - 7.20 corners per game

Both teams were quite dominant during qualifying, so these numbers are a bit inflated, but they should still both be able to contribute to the nine corners we’re looking for in this Group F clash.

The context is important here, these are easily the two strongest sides in the group so this is essentially a straight shootout for top spot with Sweden and Tunisia both being significantly weaker than Japan and the Netherlands.

I expect quite an open and end to end game as a result of the top two sides in this group facing off first, whoever tops this group will have a pretty kind route to the last eight so it’s a massive opportunity for both Netherlands and Japan who are outside the favourites to go all the way in the betting market. 

Japan saw 9+ match corners in 60% of their qualifying matches, registering 5+ corners themselves in 87% of these games. Ronald Koeman’s side were just as dominant in the corner department, registering at least 6 corners in 75% of their qualifying matches.

Furthermore, when looking at the friendly matches both sides have contested this year - high corner counts look to be a consistent theme. Japan saw just under 10 corners per game across their three friendly matches, conceding as many as 11 corners in one of these games which was their 1-0 victory over England.

Netherlands saw 9+ match corners in three of their four friendly matches this year, averaging 9.25 match corners per game across these fixtures. 

Curacao are the biggest underdogs at this World Cup, and they face an immediate baptism of fire against one of the tournament favourites, Germany.

Julian Nagelsmann is not short of attacking talent in his ranks, and he is expected to deploy Florian Wirtz out on the left wing, but the front four are likely to interchange and play fluid football. Shurandy Sambo will have plenty of defensive work to get through this weekend, and this will be a massive step-up from the type of opponent he is used to facing. 

Sambo played for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, on loan from Burnley, and he picked up six yellows in his 25 appearances.

However, he only started 18 of those games. The 24-year-old tends to be strong in his challenges and engage in duels, rather than backing off, which bodes well for backing him to be carded.

On the other side of the pitch, Ibrahim Sangare will have an equally as demanding job on the defensive end, tasked with protecting the back line. Sangare recorded six yellow cards from 42 appearances for Nottingham Forest this season, which is nothing to write home about, but he tends to take things up a gear when playing for his national side. 

Sangare racked up 15 fouls from just four starts at AFCON - he recorded the second-most infringements of any player in the competition, despite Ivory Coast being eliminated in the quarter-finals. His average of 4.05 fouls per 90 was particularly notable, and Sangare was fortunate to only escape with one booking. 

Ecuador can be effective on the break, highlighted perfectly as they finished second in the South American qualifiers. Sangare will be tasked with stopping counter-attacks, so a cynical foul could be on the cards.

Caicedo accumulated 16 yellow cards and one red from his 50 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea this season. 12 of those bookings came in the Premier League - Caicedo ranked fourth out of all players for total cards accumulated, and also fourth for total fouls committed.

The 24-year-old has maintained that aggressive defensive approach for his national side - he has been booked in two of his last four matches for Ecuador, despite those all being friendlies. Even during the qualifiers, Caicedo picked up four yellow cards and one red in his 16 appearances. 

His disciplinary record looks set to deteriorate even further this weekend, as he comes up against Ivory Coast's forward line. Caicedo should find duels against the likes of Yan Diomande, Amad Diallo and Nicolas Pepe, who all tend to be very direct in their play, looking to beat their opposing marker.