Japan hopes hang by thread
Japan's chances of emulating their achievements of four years ago when they reached the Round of 16 on home soil now hang by a thread after a 3-1 defeat to Australia in their opening game and a scoreless draw with Croatia.
To advance to the knockout stage, a convincing win is now the minimum requirement from Thursday's meeting in Dortmund with defending champions Brazil , who have already qualified from Group F thanks to victories over Croatia and Australia. Even with a win, Australia would be dependent on a favourable result in the Croatia-Australia match.
Colours for the game
Japan: blue shirts, white shorts, blue socks
Brazil: yellow shirts, blue shorts, white socks
How things stand
Both teams are likely to line up in a 4-4-2 formation. Japan will be without captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Croatia. The likely combination at the back for Japan this time will be Yuji Nakazawa and Keisuke Tsuboi. At 1.87m, Nakazawa is a rock at the heart of Japan's defence, while the tenacious Tsuboi can run 100m in a little over 11 seconds.
Tsuboi started against Australia but had to be substituted in the second half because of a cramp. Following his exit, he watched helplessly as the Socceroos came from 1-0 down to win 3-1 at the death. One focus of attention will be how well Tsuboi does against the scintillating Brazilian strikers.
As the Seleção have already booked their place in the last 16, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira may choose to rest some key players. Ronaldo, Cafu, Emerson and Robinho have each picked up one yellow card, and the coach may prefer to leave these players on the bench, ensuring they avoid risking suspension before the winner-takes-all knockout stage begins. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that Brazil's line-up will look very similar to that of the first two games, when Ronaldinho and Kaka provided the creative spark behind a two-man front line of Ronaldo and Adriano.
The duel
Shunsuke Nakamura v Ze Roberto
How well Celtic's Nakamura can supply his forwards could well be the key to Japan's fate on Thursday. In a 2-2 draw with Brazil at the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005, the creative midfielder showed that his powerful left foot was equally effective from set-pieces and open play. This time around, Brazil should be more conscious of the danger he poses.
Working with the defenders to shut down Nakamura's creativity will be holding midfielder Ze Roberto, a highly dependable player whose well-honed sense of when to attack and when to hold back has made him one of Parreira's favourites. In the game against Australia, his ability to snuff out threats before they materialise earned him the Budweiser Man of the Match award. Against Japan, too, he will be expected to neutralise the midfield orchestrations of Nakamura and Hidetoshi Nakata. It is also worth noting that Ze Roberto has a booming left foot of his own, and has also been known to wreak havoc from set-pieces.
Past meetings
Japan and Brazil first met on 16 October 1968, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. Their next encounter came nearly 21 years later on 23 July 1989, when Brazil prevailed 1-0 in a friendly played in Rio de Janeiro. Then at the Umbro Cup in England on 6 June 1995, the South Americans outclassed their Asian opponents 3-0.
All told, Brazil have won five and drawn three of the teams' head-to-head meetings. Their most recent encounter was at the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005, when the pair shared the spoils in a pulsating 2-2 draw. However, Japan can take inspiration from their 1-0 win over Brazil at the 1996 Olympic Football Tournament in Atlanta, even if the countries' full senior teams were not participating in the Games.
What they're saying
Carlos Alberto Parreira (BRA): I don't know yet who I'll start in the next game. We just need to keep things calm as we prepare ourselves physically for the knockout stage. For the Japan game, I'll take a look at how the players are recovering and may rest one or two of them ahead of the Round of 16.
Hidetoshi Nakata (JPN): We've just got to focus hard on the Brazil game. We still have a chance. If I didn't believe that, I'd already be back in London.
Japan's chances of emulating their achievements of four years ago when they reached the Round of 16 on home soil now hang by a thread after a 3-1 defeat to Australia in their opening game and a scoreless draw with Croatia.
To advance to the knockout stage, a convincing win is now the minimum requirement from Thursday's meeting in Dortmund with defending champions Brazil , who have already qualified from Group F thanks to victories over Croatia and Australia. Even with a win, Australia would be dependent on a favourable result in the Croatia-Australia match.
Colours for the game
Japan: blue shirts, white shorts, blue socks
Brazil: yellow shirts, blue shorts, white socks
How things stand
Both teams are likely to line up in a 4-4-2 formation. Japan will be without captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Croatia. The likely combination at the back for Japan this time will be Yuji Nakazawa and Keisuke Tsuboi. At 1.87m, Nakazawa is a rock at the heart of Japan's defence, while the tenacious Tsuboi can run 100m in a little over 11 seconds.
Tsuboi started against Australia but had to be substituted in the second half because of a cramp. Following his exit, he watched helplessly as the Socceroos came from 1-0 down to win 3-1 at the death. One focus of attention will be how well Tsuboi does against the scintillating Brazilian strikers.
As the Seleção have already booked their place in the last 16, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira may choose to rest some key players. Ronaldo, Cafu, Emerson and Robinho have each picked up one yellow card, and the coach may prefer to leave these players on the bench, ensuring they avoid risking suspension before the winner-takes-all knockout stage begins. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that Brazil's line-up will look very similar to that of the first two games, when Ronaldinho and Kaka provided the creative spark behind a two-man front line of Ronaldo and Adriano.
The duel
Shunsuke Nakamura v Ze Roberto
How well Celtic's Nakamura can supply his forwards could well be the key to Japan's fate on Thursday. In a 2-2 draw with Brazil at the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005, the creative midfielder showed that his powerful left foot was equally effective from set-pieces and open play. This time around, Brazil should be more conscious of the danger he poses.
Working with the defenders to shut down Nakamura's creativity will be holding midfielder Ze Roberto, a highly dependable player whose well-honed sense of when to attack and when to hold back has made him one of Parreira's favourites. In the game against Australia, his ability to snuff out threats before they materialise earned him the Budweiser Man of the Match award. Against Japan, too, he will be expected to neutralise the midfield orchestrations of Nakamura and Hidetoshi Nakata. It is also worth noting that Ze Roberto has a booming left foot of his own, and has also been known to wreak havoc from set-pieces.
Past meetings
Japan and Brazil first met on 16 October 1968, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. Their next encounter came nearly 21 years later on 23 July 1989, when Brazil prevailed 1-0 in a friendly played in Rio de Janeiro. Then at the Umbro Cup in England on 6 June 1995, the South Americans outclassed their Asian opponents 3-0.
All told, Brazil have won five and drawn three of the teams' head-to-head meetings. Their most recent encounter was at the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005, when the pair shared the spoils in a pulsating 2-2 draw. However, Japan can take inspiration from their 1-0 win over Brazil at the 1996 Olympic Football Tournament in Atlanta, even if the countries' full senior teams were not participating in the Games.
What they're saying
Carlos Alberto Parreira (BRA): I don't know yet who I'll start in the next game. We just need to keep things calm as we prepare ourselves physically for the knockout stage. For the Japan game, I'll take a look at how the players are recovering and may rest one or two of them ahead of the Round of 16.
Hidetoshi Nakata (JPN): We've just got to focus hard on the Brazil game. We still have a chance. If I didn't believe that, I'd already be back in London.
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