| 2.5 Goals (o -108 \/ u -112)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Odds above courtesy of FanDuel as of June 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Netherlands’ Current Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\nSoccer bettors and pundits have seemingly soured on the Netherlands heading into the World Cup because the Dutch have a pretty notable reputation of falling short in major tournament settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Netherlands lost to eventual-champions Argentina in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. In Euro 2024, the Dutch lost to England on a 90th-minute goal in the semifinals. There’s nothing to be ashamed about regarding either of those results, but those shortcomings have seemingly kept expectations in the betting market at a cool temperature heading into this year’s World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dutch have enjoyed success under second-term manager Ronald Koeman, going unbeaten (six wins, two draws) in World Cup qualifying. There is a club-like feel with the Dutch squad as 15 members of the team play in the English Premier League, including several groups of teammates. Liverpool and Brighton each have a trio of players on the squad, including the defensive backbone of Virgil van Dijk and Bart Verbruggen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japan’s Current Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\nWith several high-profile wins in recent years, Japan enters the 2026 World Cup with high hopes and expectations. Some of that fervor has been cooled in recent weeks as Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma, Takumi Minamino, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ko Itakura have all suffered injuries in the lead up to this tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Endo, who was named team captain prior to the event, shocked the Japanese supporters by announcing his retirement from international competition on Thursday. Manager Hajime Moriyasu had previously said, “According to the medical reports, there is nothing to say he can’t play,” so Endo’s announcement has seemingly caught everyone off-guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shuto Machino has been called up to replace Endo in the lineup, but he missed multiple flights on his way to the US and didn’t arrive in Dallas until Friday night. For a team like Japan whose success is based on discipline, organization and structure, this has been a turmultous run up to the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Netherlands vs Japan Prediction<\/h3>\n\n\n\nOver the last eight months, Japan has wins over Brazil, Ghana, Bolivia, Scotland, England and Iceland. It’s not hard to see why so many pundits are looking at the Japanese to make a deep run in this event. However, those injuries and absenses are hard to ignore, and Japan is entering this tournament missing five major contributors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Japanese needed 87 minutes to find the net against Iceland in their final tune-up two weeks ago, and they scored that game-winner while they had a one-man advantage on the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our opinion, the Dutch are being undervalued heading into this opening matchup. We will gladly back the Netherlands at even-money on the moneyline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n |