Netherlands meet a fearless Japan to get Group F under way

Group F gets going in the early hours of Monday for Indian viewers, and it could hardly have asked for a better opener. The Netherlands, one of the most decorated sides never to win the World Cup, take on a Japan team that has spent the last few years making a habit of toppling Europe’s biggest names. Kick-off at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas is 1:30am IST on Monday, June 15.

On paper this looks like a comfortable start for the Dutch. Look a little closer and it is anything but.

A Netherlands side patched up before kick-off

Ronald Koeman arrives in the United States with a squad that should be deep enough to go far, built around Virgil van Dijk at the back, Frenkie de Jong pulling the strings in midfield and Cody Gakpo carrying the threat from the left. The pedigree is there too. This is a country that reached the final in 2010 and finished third in 2014.

The worry is the treatment room. Xavi Simons and Jerdy Schouten both miss the tournament with cruciate ligament injuries, Memphis Depay is managing a hamstring complaint, and the warm-up schedule did little to settle nerves after a defeat to Algeria in Rotterdam. A side this talented should still have enough, but a slow start against a team like Japan is exactly the kind of thing that turns a manageable group into an anxious one.

Japan are nobody’s easy fixture anymore

For years Japan were the team everyone respected and few feared. That has changed. They beat Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup, have gone toe to toe with the best in friendlies since, and arrive in North America convinced this is the tournament where they finally break through the last-16 barrier that has stopped them four times.

Hajime Moriyasu’s team are built to hurt exactly this kind of opponent. Their pressing is relentless, their transitions quick, and in Takefusa Kubo, Ritsu Doan and Daichi Kamada they have the runners to punish a Dutch defence that may not be fully up to speed. If the Netherlands switch off for even a spell, Japan have the pace to make them pay.

What is at stake in Group F

Sweden and Tunisia complete the group, so neither of these sides will want to drop points in a fixture against the strongest team they will face in the first round. A win sets up the rest of the group nicely. A defeat means chasing the game from the very first day.

For the neutral, this is one of the more appealing first-round ties on the calendar. A heavyweight under pressure to deliver against an ambitious side that genuinely believes it belongs at the same table. Set an alarm for this one.

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