Brazil vs Japan Preview

Long term Tottenham target Leandro Damiao has been ruled out of the Confederation Cup due to a thigh injury. The 23 year old will be replaced by former Manchester City and Everton striker Jo, who has coupled his 25 appearances this season with 12 goals for his club Atlético Mineiro. 

 

Japan on the other hand face bigger concerns as two of their biggest stars are doubtful for the important clash against Brazil. CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda is one of the stars likely to miss the opening match, the 27 year old has struggled with injuries recently and his fitness might not allow him to compete for full 90 minutes against the Samba giants. Honda’s importance to the Japanese side implies that his absence will greatly hinder their chances to cause an upset against Brazil.

 

Inter Milan full back Yuto Nagatomo is also a doubt for Saturday’s encounter and should the full back fail to regain fitness in time, the Japanese defence will have a horrendous task at hand to contain Brazil’s industrious attacking force.

 

Japan enter the tournament with the under-dog label to their names, however the Blue Samurai might be the most under rated side of the competition. Whereas Brazil’s attacking trio might grab all the headlines and fame, Japan themselves boast a threatening attacking trio of Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda and Hiroshi Kiyotake all of whom can cause panic in the Brazilian half. 

 

Shinji Kagawa the most popular among the three made waves with German side Dortmund before he decided to join Manchester United last summer. Even though his debut season for the club was not that effective, Kagawa certainly has qualities in abundance which he showcased continually during his time in Germany and a repeat of his heroic antics will surely be a worry for Brazil.

 

Scoring goals however will remain a worry for the Blue Samurai with the absence of an established centre forward. Japan’s favoured choice of centre forward will be either of Ryoichi Maeda or Mike Havenaar, who have just scored a single goal this year combined. 

 

Brazil will be full of confidence for their opening fixture after they dismantled a strong French side 3-0 last week. Brazil will heavily rely on their midfielders who have fared brilliantly this season.

 

One of the star performers for the Selecao recently has been Chelsea playmaker Oscar. After a successful debut season with the blues, the 21 year old has further proven his worth by cementing a place in the Brazilian starting eleven. In his last outing against France, the midfielder capped a wonderful performance by a goal in the 54th minute.

 

Corinthians’ tireless midfielder Paulinho is another player who has been on the rise for the Brazilian national team and has produced exceptional performances for his side. A defensive midfielder by trade, Paulinho is expected to occupy a deep role just infront of the defense line and will be responsible to withhold Japan’s impressive attacking trio.

 

Brazil eased past the Asian champions the last two times the teams met each other, with the Samba giants scoring four past their opponents on both occasions. 

 

However Japan have never lost to Brazil in a Confederations cup match, last time the two sides met each other in the tournament, a resilient Japanese side was able to keep the scores level at 2-2 against a strong Brazilian side. Japan will be hoping for a similar result and a single point will more than suffice for the Asian Champions.

 

 

 

Jun 9, 2013 – Brazil 3-0 France

Jun 2, 2013 – Brazil 2-2 England

Apr 25, 2013 – Brazil 2-2 Chile

Apr 6, 2013 – Bolivia 0-4 Brazil

Mar 25, 2013 – Brazil 1-1 Russia

 

 

Jun 11, 2013 – Iraq 0-1 Japan

Jun 4, 2013 – Japan 1-1 Australia

May 30, 2013 – Japan 0-2 Bulgaria

Mar 26, 2013 – Jordan 2-1 Japan

Mar 22, 2013 – Japan 2-1 Canada

 

Oct 16, 2012 – Japan 0-4 Brazil

Jun 23, 2006 – Japan 1-4 Brazil

Jun 22, 2005 - Japan 2-2 Brazil

Jun 4, 2001 – Brazil 0-0 Japan

 

Brazil will be under increasing pressure playing infront of their home crowd who will demand a victory at all costs. Brazil have a strong enough side to see off Japan who have not been on the best of runs.