On Wednesday 16 January, one day prior to their final group stage match against the Uzbekistan National Team at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, Coach MORIYASU Hajime of the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) appeared in an official press-conference at the match venue, Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, and shared his aspiration to “Showcase a total team effort tomorrow.”

With both sides entering the match with two wins under their belt, Uzbekistan has the advantage over Japan in goal differential, meaning that Japan must win against Uzbekistan in order to take first place in Group F. In case of a draw or a loss, Japan will finish as the runners-up. The group leader of Group F will face the runners-up of Group E, either Saudi Arabia or Qatar, at Sharjah, while the runners-up of Group F will remain in Al Ain to face Australia, who finished second in Group B.

At the press-conference, Coach Moriyasu stated that they will keep their usual approach to prepare for the next match, “We will prepare ourselves well to advance through to the next round as group leaders. Our ultimate goal is to win the tournament title, but for now, we will focus on giving our very best towards the match ahead of us. We will approach the match as we always do.”

When asked about the starting line-up against Uzbekistan, the coach made it clear that there will be changes, “We are going to showcase a total team effort tomorrow. I want to see as many players play on the pitch and give their best performance.”

The head coach of Japan showed his expectation towards his players’ ability to adjust to changes, “It’s important to see how each player can get themselves on the same page. I want the players to make the adjustments on the pitch while facing the opponents. That will play a key role for the team to earn a victory tomorrow and for the team moving forward.”

On the other hand, Coach Hector CUPER of the Uzbekistan National Team also shared his take on the match, “In consideration of the matches ahead of us at the round of 16 and beyond, we will rotate our players, but we will still strive to win the match tomorrow and advance as the group leaders.”

The Argentinian coach, who has taken over the helm since last August, is known as a renowned coach who has led the La Liga side, Valencia and Serie A powerhouse, Inter Milan in the past. He has also managerial experience leading the Egypt National Team and Al-Wasl F.C. at the UAE Pro-League. Since his arrival to the team, Uzbekistan registered two wins, two draws, and two losses prior to the tournament and has won against Oman 2-1, followed by a 4-0 victory over Turkmenistan in the group stage.

Their striker Eldor SHOMURODOV has scored three goals in the previous two matches, while their midfielder Javokhir SIDIKOV was a member of the Uzbek U-23 side who won against Japan 4-0 in last year’s AFC U-23 Championship quarterfinals. The Uzbek midfielder showed his confidence ahead of the match against Japan, “We haven’t lost against Japan at the U-16 and U-19 level, so are quite confident facing Japan.”

During the official training session where the first 15 minutes of the session was opened to the media, the Japanese team was seen going through their warmup routine thoroughly to get their body loosened up. The session was then conducted behind closed doors, where the team went through their tactics ahead of the match.

Ahead of the final group stage match, defender SASAKI Sho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) shared his thoughts, “We have gone through two tough matches and came away with positive results. It’s important that we advance through to the next round undefeated. If I am given the opportunity to play, I will give my very best to help the team win.”

The third group stage match against the Uzbekistan National Team will kick-off at 17:30 (22:30 Japan time) on Thursday 17 at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
We are striving to advance through to the next round as the group leaders and ultimately win the tournament title. I want my players to have the confidence that they are capable of winning the match even under this pressure. The players must keep in mind how to contribute to the team while playing under the team concept. I want them to play to their full potential and help the team win the match. Our condition has improved over the first two matches and the team has shown better cohesion under the team concept. While continuing on the upward trend, we must also make the adjustments on what we lacked and give our best to perform well tomorrow. It’s an honour to be considered as the tournament favourites, but we must stay humble and enter the match as a challenger. Following the results from the previous Asian Cup, we must rethink of the aspects we must improve on and fight through the tournament as a team.

DF #16 TOMIYASU Takehiro (Sint-Truidense V.V.)
Uzbekistan is a strong team with great defence, as they have only conceded one goal thus far. As far as what I have seen, their forwards also consist great speed and power. They have scored goals by exploiting the space behind the opposing defence, so we must be careful of their fast breaks, but we must also not play too passive against them.

DF #18 SHIOTANI Tsukasa (Al Ain FC)
I usually train here so it feels like I am at home. I have a good idea of how my teammates play, so if I am given the opportunity to play, I will perform so that I can allow the other players to play freely. How we perform when we are given the opportunity, is a key factor for the team moving forward, and it’s also important for the individual players to make the coach think of new options by performing well on the pitch. I hope to make the players who started in the first two matches feel threatened by my play.

MF #17 AOYAMA Toshihiro (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
I will prepare myself in the best way possible, both mentally and physically. In the past two matches, we have focused on heightening our individual conditions while striving for a victory to advance through the group stage. We have managed to do so in the previous two matches, but from now on, we must focus on the quality of our performance. As the first step, we will give our best to earn positive results tomorrow.

MF #21 DOAN Ritsu (FC Groningen)
Our conditions have gotten better, and I personally have been given my very best at each match. I feel like I am heightening my potential through this tournament and I still have more room for improvements. That is why I believe I can showcase a better performance in the next match.

FW #11 KITAGAWA Koya (Shimizu S-Pulse)
The full backs of Uzbekistan will take a very high position, while their midfield will adjust their shape according to how their opponents play against them. In tomorrow’s match, we will seek for a mismatch we can exploit and anticipate for our opportunity to counter attack by forcing turnovers, as our quick transition is one of our strong points. We have shown great improvements in the past two matches, and we will give our best to showcase a more improved performance tomorrow.

Hector CUPER, Coach of Uzbekistan National Team
Japan is one of the best teams in Asia. They have great speed and they can apply pressure with great intensity. However, we will focus on winning the match and give our players a clear game plan before entering the match. In consideration of the matches ahead of us at the round of 16 and beyond, we will rotate our players, but we will still strive to win the match tomorrow and advance as the group leaders. We will not be making changes because we are facing Japan. Our goal is to win the tournament, so we must be always prepared to face any opponent at any given time.

Schedule

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) Squad, Schedule

AFC ASIAN CUP UAE 2019

Tournament Dates: Sat. 5 January - Fri. 1 February 2019

Group Stage:
Wed. 9 January Kick-off 20:00 (Japan Time)
Japan National Team 3-2 Turkmenistan National Team

Sun. 13 January Kick-off 22:30 (Japan Time)
Japan National Team 1-0 Oman National Team

Thu. 17 January Kick-off 22:30 (Japan Time)
vs Uzbekistan National Team

Broadcasting: Televised Live at TV Asahi Group
BS Broadcasting: Televised Live at NHKBS1

Tournament Information