Netherlands versus Japan kicks off gameday number two in the 2010 World Cup for Group E, and the stakes are getting higher. Four teams competing for two spots that lead to the second round, and if the Netherlands are one level above the rest of their opponents (at least in theory), that leaves tree nations fighting to advance in the playoffs. The matches between these three countries are definitely of the outmost importance, but if someone can cut a few points from the Dutch this would be a huge bonus later on. And today is Japan’s turn to try and leave with something from the game against the favourite football team of the group.

The Netherlands are coming to South Africa with one goal: to win the World Cup trophy for their first time in history. They have managed to reach the final game two times before in the golden 70’s, but their team right now seems even stronger than before. They qualified in the 2010 World Cup undefeated, having 8 wins in 8 games while becoming the first European nation to get the magic ticket. If they continue playing with the same passion and efficiency, the Oranje will comfortably win all three games of the group stage. Coming today against Japan the Netherlands are looking to finish this early, grab the three points and start thinking and studying their potential opponents in the knock out round.

Things will definitely not be that easy for Japan, and depending on the result of their previous game against Cameroon they are about to get tricky too. The problem for Japan here is that they do not know in advance how the battle between Cameroon and Denmark will end up, a privilege that the other two teams will certainly take advantage of. Having a more clear picture of the group’s future standings could help a lot, Japan (and Holland) would know exactly what needs to be done in Durban today.

If this was game three and the Netherlands had already secured the first spot of Group E we could give Japan some chances for a good result. But that’s not really the case here and therefore we will have to give this one to Holland.

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