SAMURAI BLUE (Japan) head coach MORIYASU Hajime announced his squad on Thursday 3 October for the two matches against Saudi Arabia and Australia in the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers.

The final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers began in September to determine the teams to take part in the FIFA World Cup 26™ in North and Central America (Canada, USA, Mexico), and Japan got off to a flying start with comfortable wins over China PR and Bahrain. With two wins in a row, they currently sit top of Group C.

However, coach Moriyasu stated that “we got off to a good start, but we haven't achieved anything yet,” and he is bracing himself for the upcoming matches against Saudi Arabia and Australia, saying that they are “two of the strongest teams in Asia.”

Although Japan, ranked 16th in the FIFA rankings, have the upper hand over Saudi Arabia, ranked 56th, and Australia, ranked 25th, they have struggled away from home against Saudi Arabia, who currently sit second in the group with one win and one draw, having lost all three of their away matches, including the final qualifying round of the last tournament three years ago.

Australia, on the other hand, have changed their coach after starting the final round with a draw and a defeat in September. Newly appointed head coach Tony POPOVIC, who played for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and is a former teammate of coach Moriyasu, is looking to get the team back on track.

Of the 27 players named in the squad, 24 return from the September series, including MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco), ITO Junya (Stade de Reims), NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims), MORITA Hidemasa (Sporting CP) and ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC). 20-year-old TAKAI Kota (Kawasaki Frontale), who made his senior debut against China PR in September, is also back in the squad.

OHASHI Yuki (Blackburn Rovers), who joined EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers this season, has been handed his first call-up as the 28-year-old has been in fine form in England, scoring four goals in his first five games for his new club.

FUJITA Joel Chima (Sint-Truidense VV), who captained Japan at the Paris Olympics, returns to the team for the first time since the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in July, while SEKO Ayumu (Grasshopper Club Zurich) returns for the first time since June of last year.

Coach Moriyasu said, “Whether you're a young player or a veteran, if you can produce results and make your presence felt, you'll have a chance,” and continued to say, “I want the players to demonstrate what they do on a regular basis for the national team as well.”

The coach also spoke about Endo, who has seen limited action for his club this season, saying: “I'm not worried at all.” And expressed his confidence in the captain: “He has a lot of experience and knows his way around the pitch. He made the right decisions in the two games in September, so I have full confidence in him.”

The team will begin training on Sunday 6 October before taking on Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Thursday 10 October (Friday 11 October in Japan) and Australia in Saitama on Tuesday 15 October.

Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
This time we are up against two of the strongest teams in Asia, Saudi Arabia and Australia. We got off to a good start in the final round, but we haven't achieved anything yet. Past victories don't guarantee future success, so we will continue to give our best, strive for victory and prepare as a team for every game.
The match against Saudi Arabia will be played in a completely away environment, so we must be prepared for a tough battle. Our biggest challenge will be the heat, especially as most of the Japanese players play in Europe, where it is already getting cold. The temperature in Saudi Arabia will be over 30 degrees, making for a physically tough match for the players, so we need to prepare ourselves to perform at our best in these conditions. We want to improve the fitness of each individual, organise how we fight as a team and as individuals, and combine the strengths of each player to strive for victory. We put up a good fight away to Saudi Arabia in the previous qualifiers but conceded the decisive goal through a single mistake. We are ready to take on new challenges, but we will also be preparing tactically to ensure we do not make any costly mistakes.
I think the match against Australia will also pose a very tough challenge, as they have several good players who are active in the top leagues around the world. I played with coach Popovic as a player in Hiroshima and played against him in the ACL when I was the head coach of Hiroshima. He has experience of managing clubs in the A-League and in Europe, and he knows a lot about international football, so I think they will be very well prepared. Although we only have one match to analyse since he took over as head coach, we want to do our best to understand what they are going to do and make sure we are ready for them. I heard that the tickets for the Australia match in Saitama are already sold out. I want to fight so that we can deliver a victory to everyone in Japan, but first of all we want to give our best against Saudi Arabia so that we can bring a good result back to Japan.

YAMAMOTO Masakuni, JFA National Team Director
We got off to a good start in the September series, which could be described as historic. But we know the real action will start in the October series. History has shown that there are no easy games in World Cup qualifiers, and the away game against Saudi Arabia will be a particularly tough challenge in a difficult environment, so we want to prepare well. And in the home game against Australia, we hope to show our appreciation to our fans, supporters and sponsors with a performance that lives up to everyone's expectations. We will approach the October series with a determination to make history and hope to build on the positive momentum of this final round of World Cup qualifiers.

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