🏏 Sun, 31 May 2026 19:25 JST
Japan
vs
アイスランド代表
3-4-2-1 vs 4-1-4-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- As final preparation with the World Cup itself about two weeks away, Japan face Iceland at Saitama Stadium. With an eye on the finals, manager Moriyasu adopts a 3-4-2-1 formation and places Wataru Endo as the midfield fulcrum as captain. In an unusual setup with Ko Itakura and Daichi Kamada in the centre-back line, he takes on a tactical experiment that emphasises build-up ability.
- The focus is on whether the 23-year-old Zion Suzuki, starting in goal, can make sure of the first-choice keeper's role at the World Cup. The 190cm tall keeper, who has gained experience at Serie A side Parma, has a record of stacking up clean sheets in the Asian World Cup final qualifiers too, and his strength in aerial battles will be tested against Iceland's tall attack. Backups Keisuke Osako (26) and Yuki Hayakawa (24) are also in the squad, and the goalkeeping battle continues.
- Among the attackers, a spectacular setup sees a lavish group of Takefusa Kubo, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito and Keito Nakamura line up in the second line. Kubo (24) is a key player at Real Sociedad, Doan (27) has played in the Champions League at Frankfurt, and Ito (33) has maintained undiminished pace even after returning to former club Genk. Nakamura (25) has battled on at Reims even after relegation and is a player of quality constantly linked with a Premier League move; the question is whether the individual skill of the four can break down Iceland's defence.
- Ayase Ueda is used as the lone striker, staking a claim for the role of ace striker at the World Cup. At Feyenoord he broke the record for the most goals by a Japanese player in the Eredivisie and has already scored a hat-trick this season. On the bench are three forwards in Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen) and Keisuke Goto, giving plenty of substitution options for the second half too.
- At the base of midfield, Ao Tanaka (27) pairs up with Wataru Endo (33) to handle the balance between attack and defence. Tanaka has a record of scoring the winning goal against Spain at the 2022 World Cup, and although his game time at Leeds is limited, he is indispensable for the national team. Endo is an experienced anchor playing Premier League football at Liverpool, controlling the game in both defence and build-up in midfield.
- On the bench, in addition to veterans such as 39-year-old Yuto Nagatomo and 34-year-old Shogo Taniguchi, European-based defenders such as 26-year-old Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich) and 24-year-old Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen) are also in reserve. Ito in particular is valuable as a left-footed centre-back and is expected to be an option for tactical changes in the second half.
- Iceland set up in a 4-2-3-1, placing Brynjolfur Darri Willumsson up top and Kristian Hlynsson (21) in the second line. Hlynsson is an attacking midfielder drawing attention as a promising young prospect, and it will be intriguing to see how he sets about breaking down Japan's back three. Set pieces making use of the height of goalkeeper Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson are also a point of caution for Japan.