Understrength Japan out to show Socceroos who’s boss

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Understrength Japan out to show Socceroos who’s boss

Japan have boldly declared they want to win the 2026 World Cup and want to use Thursday night’s match against the Socceroos to show off their enviable depth.

While Japan have already secured their spot for the showpiece event, Australia still have work to do.

If the Socceroos (13 points) fail to beat Japan at Optus Stadium on Thursday night, their hopes of automatic qualification could rest on the result of next Tuesday’s clash with Saudi Arabia (10 points) in Jeddah.

Japan have brought an inexperienced squad to Perth with overseas stars such as Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Daizen Maida (Celtic), Reo Hatate (Celtic), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Junya Ito (Reims) and Hidemasa Morita (Sporting Lisbon) among the big outs.

But don’t be fooled, Japan are still desperate for victory with the Samurai Blue keen to maintain an unbeaten run against Australia that stretches back to their win over their arch-rivals in the Asian Cup final in 2011.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu says Thursday’s match, albeit a dead rubber for his side, is a crucial part of his World Cup puzzle.

“Our main goal is to win the World Cup next year,” Moriyasu said through an interpreter in Perth on Wednesday afternoon.

“And thinking about this … we need to take each match seriously, step by step, and I think we need to build the strongest team possible towards the World Cup.

“It’s true that the core member hasn’t travelled to Australia this time, and you may think that it’s not the best squad that we could possibly have.

“But I would like to show the world that we still have lots of players that are coming through, and I would like my players to shine on the very best stage tomorrow.”

Japan captain Wataru Endo, who plays for Liverpool, is confident Japan’s newcomers will be able to adapt.

“The new players have shown us that they have very good quality on the pitch,” Endo said.

“And as one of the experienced players in the team, I would like to help them get into the team and let them focus on the next match against Australia and try to thrive in the match.”

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