Japan will face their biggest test so far at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as they take on Spain, one of the favorites to win gold, in the quarter-finals.
Japan were one of the surprises of the group stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing atop Group D with all nine possible points. Go Oiwa's squad joined France as the only two teams in men's soccer to go perfect in their first three matches of the tournament. Despite their efforts, though, they still must face Spain, one of the toughest opponents in the competition, in their first knockout match.
La Roja were projected to win Group C, but they fell to Egypt in their final group stage fixture, forcing them to settle for second place. Still, when Santi Denia fields his strongest XI, Spain have looked more than capable of making a deep run in the tournament, but first, they must do something no other team has yet to do—defeat Japan.
Here's 90min's guide to Japan vs Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Japan U23 vs Spain U23 H2H record
Current form (all competitions)
Japan U23 | Spain U23 |
|---|---|
Israel 0-1 Japan - July 30, 2024 | Spain 1-2 Egypt - July 30, 2024 |
Japan 1-0 Mali - July 27, 2024 | Dominican Republic 1-2 Spain - July 27, 2024 |
Japan 5-0 Paraguay - July 24, 2024 | Uzbekistan 1-2 Spain - July 24, 2024 |
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United States | Peacock, Universo, FuboTV |
United Kingdom | Eurosport 5, discovery+ |
Japan have shown plenty of different lineups and formations in just three matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but each one proved successful as they topped Group D. Rihito Yamamoto and Shota Fujio will need to maintain their goal scoring form if Japan want to find success against Spain in the quarter-finals.
Mao Hosoya likely did enough to earn his spot back in the starting XI; the forward created the most chances against Mali, and scored the winner against Israel as a substitute.
Japan predicted lineup vs Spain ( 4-2-3-1 ): Kokubo; Uchino, Nishio, Suzuki, Kimura; Yamamoto, Kawasaki; Yamada, Hosoya, Sato; Fujio
Spain might have lost to Egypt in their final Group C fixture, but Santi Denia put out an XI of mostly backups, giving his starters a decent rest ahead of the knockout rounds. Against Japan, though, expect the manager to put out his strongest lineup. Fermin Lopez will return to the midfield while Aimar Oroz, Abel Ruiz, and Sergio Gomez will be reunited up top.
Pau Cubarsi already served his one match suspension for yellow card accumulation in the group stage, so the Barcelona man will be back next to Eric Garcia in the quarter-finals.
Spain predicted lineup vs Japan ( 4-1-2-3 ): Tenas; Pubill, Cubarsi, Garcia, Miranda; Barrios; Lopez, Baena; Oroz, Ruiz, Gomez
Japan might be unbeaten heading into the quarter-finals, but two of their 1-0 wins have come from late-game heroics against teams far inferior to Spain. Although La Roja have yet to truly deliver a gold medal-worthy performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, they still have all the pieces they need to control the game against Japan and find a winner to advance to the semi-finals.