Japan team finalizes list of players with strongest lineup

The Japanese team attended the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar with a very strong squad, in which two key players, Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo, were present despite being injured.

The 2023 Asian Cup finals will take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10. (Source: AFC)

Japan team finalizes list to attend Asian Cup 2023 finals

Coach Hajime Moriyasu officially finalized the list of Japanese national team participating in the 2023 Asian Cup finals in Qatar taking place this January.

The Japanese team's Asian Cup roster does not have many differences compared to the previous 2026 World Cup second qualifying round roster.

Players currently playing in Europe such as Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Junya Ito (Reims), Ritsu Doan (SC Freiburg) and Takuma Asano (VfL Bochum) are all present.

Notably, Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo are two players who, despite being injured, were still included in the list by coach Hajime Moriyasu.

Previously, according to Japanese media, Kaoru Mitoma suffered an ankle injury and had to leave the field in the 83rd minute of the match between Brighton and Crystal Palace in round 18 of the Premier League last weekend.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad midfielder Takefusa Kubo suffered an injury in the goalless draw against Cadiz. The Japanese star suffered a rib injury after a strong collision with an opposing player.

Despite calling many players playing in Europe, Mr. Hajime Moriyasu was still very steadfast in his decision not to choose Furuhashi - a player in high form for Celtic.

The 1995-born star scored two goals in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage. Last weekend, he also scored in the Scottish football Old Firm derby, helping Celtic beat Rangers 2-1.

Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup Finals

At the 2023 Asian Cup finals, the Japanese team is the opponent of the Vietnamese team when both teams are in Group D with Iraq and Indonesia.

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese team will face Japan in the opening match on January 14 at Al Thumama Stadium.

In the second match, Japan will meet Iraq, while Vietnam will face Indonesia at 9:30 p.m. on January 19 at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. This is considered the "easiest" match for coach Philippe Troussier and his team in this group.

The Vietnamese team will conclude their journey in the 2023 Asian Cup group stage with a match against the Iraqi team at 6:30 p.m. on January 24 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Japan team plays friendly match

To prepare for the tournament as well as the match against the Vietnamese team, the Japanese team had a perfect warm-up with a resounding 5-0 victory over Thailand.

In this match, Japan controlled the game but could not penetrate the disciplined defense of the opponent in the first 45 minutes.

However, in the second half, the Thai team could not continue to maintain that certainty and let Japan score 5 goals against goalkeeper Khammai.

Ao Tanaka, Keito Nakamura, Takumi Kawamura and Minamino took turns scoring for Japan, while the remaining goal came from an own goal by Thai center-back Elias Dolah.

Pouring a "rain of goals" into the Thai net, the Japanese team extended their winning streak to 9 matches and is the longest winning streak in the history of the "Samurai Blue".

Notably, this record was set by Japan very impressively when their defeated opponents included highly rated teams such as Peru, Germany and Türkiye.

Specifically, coach Moriyasu's team defeated El Salvador (6-0), Peru (4-1), Germany (4-1), Turkey (4-2), Canada (4-1), Tunisia (2-0), Myanmar (5-0), Syria (5-0) and Thailand (5-0).

Vietnam team

With what has been shown, the Japanese team is truly a big challenge for the Vietnamese team on the opening day of the 2023 Asian Cup finals.

However, the highest goal that coach Philippe Troussier and his team are aiming for will certainly be to play well against their opponents and try their best to achieve the best results.

In the upcoming tournament, the Vietnamese team will not have the best squad as many players are injured and cannot participate, including goalkeeper Dang Van Lam.

The 2023 Asian Cup Finals will take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, with the participation of 24 of the best teams in Asia.

According to the competition format, the 24 teams participating in the 2023 Asian Cup are divided into 6 groups, each group has 4 teams. The teams will play a round-robin to select the first, second and 4 third-placed teams with the best results in each group to enter the round of 16.

With Japan and Iraq being rated higher, the most realistic goal for the Vietnamese team is to beat Indonesia, hoping to become one of the four third-placed teams with the best results to qualify for the quarter-finals.

( according to Vietnam+ )

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