Both sides suffered defeats in their opening fixtures and will be looking to put some points on the table. Greece was outclassed by Colombia who seemed too good for the Euro 2004 Champions to handle. Goals from Armero and Gutierrez put the game far beyond Greece’s reach and James Rodriguez put the tie to rest with another goal in injury time.
Japan on the other hand made a good start in their match against Ivory Coast when AC Milan star Keisuke Honda gave them the lead in the 16th minute. But Ivory Coast scored two goals in quick succession to take the lead and grab three very valuable points.
The Asian side paid the price for trying to defend their lead and was eventually bullied by the Ivory Coast attacking force which scored two goals in as many minutes. Japan’s national team coach Alberto Zaccheroni is unlikely to make many changes to his side. However Yuya Osaka who had a disappointing outing against Ivory Coast is likely to be replaced by Yoshito Okubo upfront.
Man United star Shinji Kagawa was another player who was not on the top of his game but it is unlikely that he will be demoted to the bench and Japanese fans will be hoping for a much improved performance from their star player.
Greece who boasted a very strong defence during the World Cup Qualification campaign, conceding just four goals on their road to Brazil were unable to show the same resilience against Colombia losing by a 3-0 score line.
However according to Celtic forward Georgios Samaras, Greece will be looking to play a more attacking brand of football and will be unwilling to abandon the philosophy after just one unfavorable outcome.
"Everyone expected we would have 11 men behind the ball, defend, defend, defend and give everything to keep a clean sheet," said Samaras.
"But I think what they saw was a team that likes to attack, that moves the ball really well, and that tries always to create chances.
"We went out to win against Colombia, and that philosophy will not change. We just hope it brings a better result for us because Japan is now a must, must-win game for us.
"We created chances against Colombia and that`s something we can`t forget. On another day, it could have been us winning, and that`s something we need to take into this massive match."
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Japan vs Greece live on Thursday, June 19, 2014:
In the US at 18.00 EST on:
- On TV: AFN Sports, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision Deportes USA, Univision USA
- Online & Apps:ESPN Deportes+, ESPN3 Online-App, Univision Deportes En Vivo, WATCH ESPN
- Audio / Radio: ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Radio, SiriusXM FC
In Canada at 18.00 ET on:
- On TV: CBC, Mediaset Italia, TVA Sports, Univision Canada
- Online & Apps: CBC Sports Live Streaming, ICI Radio-Canada En Direct,
- Audio / Radio: TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1200 Ottawa, TSN 1050 Toronto,
In the UK at 23.00 BST on:
- On TV: BBC One UK, BBC Red Button
- Online & Apps: The BBC iPlayer
- Audio / Radio: BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport Radio
In Australia at 08:00 (Sunday on):
- On TV: SBS One Australia
- Online & Apps: SBS One Australia Online & App
- Audio / Radio: SBS Radio 3, SBS Radio 4
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Japan vs Greece match page.
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