🇯🇵 JAPAN vs. CANADA 🇨🇦

🇸🇦 SAUDI ARABIA vs. NIGERIA 🇳🇬

International Friendlies

Friday 13th October from 11:35 BST

⚽️ Japan to score 2 or more goals

⚽️ Nigeria win

💷 2pts

Best Odds: 2.96 at Betfair/Paddy Power

Welcome to Friday’s Daily Double and this one is paying us nearly 2/1! We have two international friendlies on the docket, and I can’t ignore the stats for these games.

First up, we have the free-scoring Japan taking on Canada, who have shown some defensive vulnerabilities recently. The Samurai Blue have delivered some surprisingly entertaining results in recent matches.

Just last month, they trounced Germany 4-1 in Wolfsburg and followed up with a 4-2 victory over Turkey in Genk, Belgium. These wins were preceded by a 6-0 dismantling of El Salvador and a 4-1 victory over Peru during the summer. Since their World Cup elimination on penalties by Croatia, they’ve won four of these six matches, alongside a 1-1 draw against Uruguay and a narrow 2-1 loss to Colombia. They’ve netted an impressive 22 goals in these six games while conceding seven.

On the other side, their opponents, Canada, have been prone to conceding goals. In their last six matches, they allowed four goals in two games against their bitter rivals, the USA, and two goals each against lowly Cuba and Guadeloupe. Among these results was a goalless draw with Guatemala. It seems like a solid bet to predict Japan scoring at least two goals, especially considering this outcome has materialised in four out of the last five matches for the Canadians’ opponents.

In the second part of our Daily Double, Saudi Arabia has been on a downward spiral since their 2-1 World Cup victory over Argentina last year. They’ve managed to win just one of their last nine matches, with an alarming eight losses during this period. Their defeats include a 2-0 loss to Iraq and 2-1 losses to Oman, Venezuela, and Bolivia. I had the opportunity to witness their match against Costa Rica at St. James Park in Newcastle last month, where the Costa Ricans cruised to a 3-1 victory. A few days later, South Korea secured a 1-0 win with ease.

On the flip side, Nigeria has won their last three matches. They achieved a 1-0 away victory against Guinea Bissau, a 3-2 win in Sierra Leone, and a resounding 6-0 drubbing of Sao Tome and Principe. While these may not be top-tier opponents, Nigeria boasts a squad brimming with talent.

Their attacking options include Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who has scored 10 goals in 12 games for both club and country this season, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, with 9 goals in 10 appearances. Other attacking choices consist of Taiyo Awoniyi (4 goals in 8 games with two assists) and Ademola Lookman (3 goals in 11 matches). Their midfield features Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester, Alex Iwobi of Fulham, and Joe Aribo of Southampton, just a few of the wealth of options.

Defensively, Nigeria has strengthened their ranks, with the inclusion of Calvin Bassey and Ola Aina, which helped secure a clean sheet in the match against Sao Tome. With their abundance of quality and talent, Nigeria is well-positioned to secure a victory at the neutral location in Portugal this Friday at 5:00pm.

Good luck!

WILL BURNS

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