International Friendly:England vs Japan -by loyalblue

International Friendly
England v Japan
Pick: Over 3.5 goals
Odds: 2.75 @william hill

Verdict: England manager, Fabio Capello, will give some of his fringe players their final opportunity to impress before cutting his squad from 30 to 23 against Japan today. Darren Bent, Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon, and Theo Wallcott will all start today against a Japanese side that has tasted defeat in 3 of its last 4 outings. The Samurai last tasted dissapointment on Sunday when they went down 0-2 to bitter foes, South Korea. Despite their recent poor form, manager Takeshi Okada still insists that his team will reach the semi-finals in South Africa. I expect his side to be at full throttle today against one of the title favorites in England, as the manager seeks to appease the fans back home.

England defeated Mexico 3-1 at Wembley, on Monday, in a game where the result was perhaps more convincing than the performance. The Three Lions took advantage of their aerial power with King and Crouch scoring from high balls. This may yet prove an avenue to goal against the Japanese who have always been susceptable when defending high deliveries into their area. Despite their goal scoring form in recent days, Capello will be concerned at the fact that his chargers have only kept a single clean sheet in their last 8 outings. Japan will hope to have golden boy Junichi Inamoto back from injury. He and Nakamura will be the main threats to England.

With Japan looking to bounce back from their embarassment against South Korea, and England players looking to impress in order to avoid the chop, I expect an open, fast paced game with goals.