Current form: Italy vs Japan
It's been smooth sailing so far for the Azzurrini, who have picked up back-to-back wins in their first two games over Mexico and most recently, Ecuador. While both results (2-1) and (1-0) were hardly show-stopping results, at the end of the day, a victory is a victory, and now Italy have already booked their spot in the next round. Naturally, they will want to finish their group stage campaign as winners of their quartet as they prepare to face Japan, who so far have also had a solid start to the tournament.
The Asian side, who qualified despite being shocked in the 2018 AFC under-19 Championship after being eliminated in the semi-finals by Saudi Arabia, have put that disappointing showing firmly behind them as they recovered well from an unfortunate own goal against Ecuador to secure a draw, and cruised to a relatively comfortable 3-0 win over Mexico on matchday two.
A victory for Japan, of course, would see them leapfrog an already-qualified Italy and help them finish the group stages as winners of Group B. Who will come out on top in this crucial clash?
Match facts and stats: Italy vs Japan
- Italy's best ever result at a World Cup at this level was third place two years ago
- Meanwhile, Japan have never won it, but earned a runners-up berth at the 1999 edition staged in Nigeria after an impressive run that unfortunately ended in a 4-0 loss to Spain
- This will be the second meeting between Italy and Japan at the under-20 level
- Their first encounter, in 2017, ended as a 2-2 draw in the group stage
Where to watch Italy vs Japan on May 28, 2019
In the USA, catch Italy vs Japan on Telemundo Deportes En Vivo and Fox Soccer Plus.
Fans in Italy can cheer on the Azzurri on Sky Supercalcio HD, SKY Go Italia, RAI Sport 1, RAI Play, Sky Sport Serie A, and Sky Sport Uno.
The Samurai Blue will be in action against Italy on J Sports 2 and BS Fuji in Japan where supporters can see all the action live as Japan take on Italy for top spot in Group B.
Live elsewhere? Here are your options to follow Italy vs Japan:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
