Preview: England vs Japan - prediction, team news, lineups

Four days on from one of their most uninspiring displays under Thomas Tuchel yet, England return to Wembley soil for Tuesday's international friendly with Japan.

The Three Lions left a lot to be desired in a 1-1 stalemate with Uruguay on Friday evening, one day before their upcoming visitors edged out Scotland.

Match preview

Fielding the experimental lineup of all experimental lineups, Tuchel witnessed England's six-game winning sequence come to an end against South American titans Uruguay, on the same evening that the Three Lions also failed to equal an all-time record.

Back from his near four-year exile, Ben White was in the spotlight on the night, being subjected to boos both before and after scoring the opening goal and then giving away a late penalty for Federico Valverde to level the scores, as England's 629-minute sequence without conceding came to an end.

On an evening where Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Elliot Anderson and others were helplessly watching on from the stands, England supporters did not get their money's worth, but Tuchel unsurprisingly took an upbeat tone after the game.

Any World Cup 2026 preparation is good World Cup 2026 preparation for the former Chelsea boss, even though England's stalemate with Uruguay saw the Three Lions fail to win their opening game of a calendar year for just the third time in the last 14 years.

Nevertheless, England remain unbeaten at Wembley under Tuchel's wing, while also finding the back of the net in 21 successive competitive and non-competitive games since their 0-0 draw with Slovakia at Euro 2024.

Japan need only travel back as far as September for their last failure in front of goal - a 2-0 friendly loss to the USA - but the Samurai Blue have held their own in friendly contests ever since.

A 2-2 stalemate with Paraguay in October preceded an ongoing four-game winning run for Tuesday's visitors, who kicked off that streak with a stunning 3-2 success over Brazil before also getting the better of Ghana and Bolivia to close out a successful 2025.

Hajime Moriyasu's men then kicked off their springtime sojourn to the UK in a triumphant manner, eking out a 1-0 victory over Scotland on Saturday thanks to a substitute of their own, as Junya Ito struck the winner with 84 minutes gone.

In what will be their penultimate friendly before the 2026 World Cup - in which they will battle the Netherlands, Tunisia and either Sweden or Poland in Group F - Japan will seek a feat they have never managed in senior men's football; victory over England.

Indeed, the Three Lions have won two and drawn one of the three previous meetings between the two nations at this level, most recently prevailing 2-1 in a 2010 friendly thanks to a pair of own goals.

England International Friendlies form:

England form (all competitions):

Japan International Friendlies form:

Team News

No fewer than eight Englishmen have withdrawn from the camp ahead of Tuesday's friendly, including Adam Wharton and Noni Madueke - injured during the Uruguay draw - and John Stones, who suffered a knock prior to the stalemate.

Rice and Saka have also returned to Arsenal for 'medical assessment', while Fikayo Tomori, Aaron Ramsdale and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are back with their clubs too, but the rest of Tuchel's 27 troops are all raring to go.

Dean Henderson, Nico O’Reilly, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Anderson, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon and Kane watched on from the stands on Friday too, but all nine are in contention for Tuesday, where sweeping changes are expected from the England boss.

The same is true for visitors Japan, whose head coach Moriyasu only considered Kaoru Mitoma and Daichi Kamada for substitute minutes against Scotland, but the duo should be restored to the XI at Wembley.

The Samurai Blue did not appear to sustain any fresh concerns at Hampden Park and should set up in a familiar 3-4-2-1 shape on Tuesday, with Ayase Ueda of Feyenoord spearheading the charge.

However, ex-Arsenal man Takehiro Tomiyasu will not be reuniting with fellow full-back White, as the Ajax defender had to withdraw from the squad through injury.

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; White, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Mainoo; Palmer, Rogers, Gordon; Kane

Japan possible starting lineup:

Suzuki; Taniguchi, Watanabe, Ito; Sugawara, Kaishu Sano, Kamada, Mitoma; Doan, Maeda; Ueda

We say: England 2-1 Japan

England's lacklustre display against Uruguay should not be a harbinger of doom for the World Cup, and Tuchel's well-rested big-hitters should flex their international muscles on Tuesday.

An in-form Japan side who shocked Brazil just a few months ago will put up a good fight, but England still have our backing to return to victorious ways.

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