🏏 Thu, 20 Mar 2025 19:35 JST
Japan
vs
バーレーン代表
3-4-2-1 vs 4-2-3-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- On matchday seven of the Asian final qualifying round, leaders Japan (16 points) host bottom side Bahrain (three points). Japan won the away meeting in September 5-0, and now aim for another big win at home.
- Ace striker Ayase Ueda returns as the lone striker, hoping to bring his fine form at Feyenoord to the national team. Through his link-up with the creative pairing of Takumi Minamino and Takefusa Kubo as shadow strikers, he will look to slice through Bahrain's defensive net.
- The four-man midfield of Kaoru Mitoma, Ko Watanabe, Wataru Endo and Ritsu Doan is a well-balanced setup across attack and defence. Brighton's Mitoma and Frankfurt's Doan attack from both flanks, while Endo and Watanabe build play centrally.
- Bahrain form a compact defensive block in a 4-2-3-1 system. With counter-attacks centred on number 10 Al-Aswad, they will look to exploit the space behind Japan's high defensive line.
- Japan's back three of Hiroki Ito, Ko Itakura and Ayumu Seko has the build-up from deep by the left-footed Ito and Seko as a weapon. They will want to evade Bahrain's frontline press with accurate passing.
- Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki will want to draw on his experience at Parma to show his stability with the national team. It is a match that calls for concentration against Bahrain's set pieces and long-range shots.
- Among the substitutes are attacking players such as Keito Nakamura, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Ao Tanaka and Shuto Machino. Japan will want to overwhelm Bahrain with tactical changes to suit the flow of the game.
- Bahrain's goalkeeper Lutfalla is a 190cm tall keeper of Lebanese descent. He conceded five in the away meeting in September, and attention turns to how much he can cope with Japan's attack at home this time.