by Tom Allen
Denmark and Japan meet in a winner-takes-all clash on Thursday and it is the
Europeans that should be supported.
I was sceptical about Denmark's chances of progressing following their
opening 2-0 defeat at the hands of Group E leaders Holland but they showed
plenty of resolve to come from behind to beat Cameroon and can now grab second
spot.
Due to an inferior goal difference, Denmark require all three points to
overhaul their opponents and qualify for the last 16 but I came into the
tournament thinking that Japan were probably one of the worst nations in the
finals and I'd be surprised if they were ultimately good enough to qualify for
he knockout stages.
To be fair to Japan they performed admirably against Cameron when beating the
African side in their first fixture at the finals, thanks to a strike from
Keisuke Honda, but were comfortably outclassed by Holland and you just get the
feeling that the momentum is with their opponents.
With Italy struggling to top Group F, the runners-up in this section could
well face Paraguay for a place in the last eight and that is plenty of
motivation for both Japan and Denmark.
Japan have the luxury of knowing a draw will be good enough, Cameroon have
already been eliminated in Group E, but Takeshi Okada's side don't look set up
to me to protect what they have and we could well see an open game.
I was really looking forward to seeing Japanese striking sensation Shinji
Okazaki in action at these finals but Okada has opted to start his stop scorer
on the bench for both games so far and perhaps that hints at a negative
philosophy.
I think that will suit the Danes, they are much better when seeing more of
the ball, and surely it will only be a matter of time before they find a
breakthrough.
With Japan suspect in the air, I expect the likes of Dennis Rommedahl and
Jesper Gronkjaer to hug their respective touchlines and this could be the game
where Nicklas Bendtner makes his mark at the finals.
The Arsenal man got the equaliser against Cameroon and will be looking to add
to his tally as Denmark seek a safe passage into the second round.
At odds against, I rate Denmark a fairly decent wager to get the job done and
I have plenty of faith in Morten Olsen to get his strategy correct.
I had dismissed their chances having witnessed their inept display against
Holland, but Japan are a massive drop in class and Denmark should cope fairly
comfortably.
1pt Back Denmark (vs. Japan) @ 7/4 (Victor
Chandler)
