Netherlands have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four matches since the qualifying campaign concluded, and their form in the warm-up friendlies has raised concerns heading into this tournament. They were beaten 1-0 by Algeria before scraping past Uzbekistan with a 2-1 win, after Cody Gakpo scored from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. Netherlands also had a man sent off in that game for a handball. 

Japan were totally dominant in their qualifying campaign, and they recently managed to beat England in a friendly. They have proven that they can cause problems for the elite European sides, and so the Samurai Blue will fancy their chances of at least getting on the scoresheet here. 

With that being said, keeping the Netherlands at bay will be a tough task - they have real quality in their ranks, with talent playing all across Europe’s elite teams.

These are the two best sides in Group F on paper, and they should approach this match with real ambition, knowing that a win will put them in a great position to finish top of the group to set up a favourable knockout draw.

Netherlands are a team that likes to commit bodies forward into their attacks, with overlapping fullbacks, which create crossing opportunities. They had an average of 6.5 corners per game in their World Cup qualifying matches, while Japan recorded an average of 7.2 corners per game in the AFC pathway. It is worth noting, however, that they didn’t face a side anywhere near as strong as the Netherlands.

In fact, Japan may have come away with a 1-0 win against England recently, but they managed just 30% possession, and the Three Lions were unfortunate to score given that they had eleven corners.

Gakpo put in a standout performance in the recent friendly win over Uzbekistan, scoring both Dutch goals from the penalty spot.

He is expected to play a key role on the left wing at the World Cup, and it seems like Ronald Koeman trusts him as one of the more senior players in the squad. Gakpo scored four goals from eight starts for his national side in the qualifiers, finishing with an average of 2.48 shots per 90, which was one of the highest figures in the squad.

44% of those efforts hit the target, indicating he tends to be accurate when the space opens up. He contributed heavily to the Netherlands’ unbeaten record of six wins and two draws from their eight games.

Virgil Van Dijk is arguably one of the most dangerous aerial threats of any player in world football, and he will be the primary target when the Netherlands get a chance to send the ball into the box.

The Liverpool centre back had an average of 1.25 shots per 90 in the World Cup qualifying campaign, contributing two goals in that time. 

He also registered a shot in five out of six appearances at Euro 2024, landing this selection in all three group stage games.

Looking at the Japan squad, there isn’t really anyone who can match Van Dijk’s level of physicality, so the Netherlands will hope to tap into that edge this weekend.

Ritsu Doan is expected to feature in a right wingback position for Japan at the World Cup, which puts him right up against Gakpo in this opening fixture.

In addition to his goalscoring contributions, Gakpo also had an average of 1.79 fouls drawn per 90 in the qualifiers, which shows just how much of the ball he tends to see. 

Doan is used to playing in a more advanced position for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, but he still averaged 1.02 fouls per 90 this season.

He is tenacious in his duels and often looks to drop deeper to help out his fullback, so playing at wingback suits him nicely. That matchup on the flank is one to keep an eye on.

Memphis Depay played a key role for the Netherlands in their qualifying run, and the 32-year-old has been included in the squad for the World Cup, but it’s Donyell Malen who looks set to lead the line.

He had an excellent second half of the season, scoring 14 goals in 18 appearances for Roma after joining from Aston Villa in January. He comes into this World Cup in a rich vein of form and will hope to maintain that output. 

Perhaps the one thing that the Netherlands have lacked recently is a real finisher in the final third - Malen will hope to fill that void this summer, as the Dutch are not short of creative players who can create chances.

Keito Nakamura is expected to occupy the left wingback position in Moriyasu's 3-4-3 system, but he is still given plenty of license to get forward and join in the attacks.

He had an average of 2.17 shots per 90 during the qualifiers, as he often looked to arrive late in the box and create overloads. 

Nakamura scored 14 goals from 29 appearances for Reims in the French second division this season, and four of those goals came in the final game of the campaign against Pau.

Nakamura can be devastating in the final third, and he should be full of confidence heading into this clash against the Netherlands.

Van Dijk will hope to cause problems in the final third, but he will primarily be tasked with keeping Japan at bay here.

He isn’t particularly renowned for jumping into tackles, but Van Dijk did average 2.0 fouls per 90 for the Netherlands during Euro 2024, which was the highest figure in the Dutch squad, and he picked up two bookings.

Even during the qualifiers, he had an average of 1.0 fouls per game, with multiple infringements committed in three of his eight starts, which shows how he tends to be a bit more aggressive when playing on the international stage. 

Japan's attacking unit is fluid, and they will aim to pull Van Dijk out of position and cause problems for the Dutch defender.

After narrowly escaping relegation with Spurs, Micky Van De Ven will be hoping for a more positive outcome at the World Cup, and he is given a slightly different role for his national side.

Van De Ven is typically deployed at left back by Koeman, which means he typically has more ground to cover out wide. 

He will have to deal with Takefusa Kubo cutting inside from the right and Doan, who often looks to drive forward from his wingback position to create overlapping runs.

Kubo had an average of 2.83 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions for Real Sociedad this season, so Van De Ven is likely to have his hands full.