Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said on Thursday Bahrain had “high morale” ahead of their Asia Cup last-16 encounter with Japan in Qatar.
The Middle Eastern side beat Jordan 1-0 in Group E to book a match against the four-time Asian champions.
Group D runners-up Japan were well on their way to a showdown with arch-rivals South Korea until Jurgen Klinsmann’s side conceded a late equalizer to draw 3-3 with Malaysia in the final Group E match.
Japan national team captain Wataru Endo (6) passes the ball during the Asian Cup Group D match against Indonesia held at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on January 24, 2024 (Kyodo News)
Wednesday’s first-round knockout match against Japan at Doha’s Al Thumama Stadium will be the same venue in which they lost 1-0 to Hajime Moriyasu’s team at the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates. It will be a rematch of sorts for Pizzi, who coached Saudi Arabia.
Despite the gulf between them in the world rankings, Pizzi said 86th-ranked Bahrain is not in awe of 17th-ranked Samurai Blue.
“(Japan) has high individual skills and potential, but we have great faith in the concentration and effort of the players and hope we can qualify,” the Argentine said. .
“Of course, the Japanese national team is good and we have some experienced players who play in European leagues, but we are optimistic about the group. The team morale is high and we have a strong sense of unity.”
Coach Moriyasu’s team entered the tournament, which was held from January 12th to February 10th, as favorites to win, but they lost to Iraq 2-1 last Friday, missing out on finishing top of their group.
They won their opening game against Vietnam 4-2 and beat Indonesia 3-1 on Wednesday to finish the group stage with 2 wins and 1 loss.
“The group stage made us realize that it’s difficult to win no matter who our opponent is,” Japan national team captain Wataru Endo said after the win against Indonesia. “It’s important that we get the most out of ourselves and prepare to play like we did today.”
South Korea will face Saudi Arabia in the last 16 of the tournament at Al Rayyan’s Education City Stadium on Tuesday, followed by Iran and Syria on Wednesday and a possible match against Japan in the quarter-finals.
Related coverage:
Soccer: Japan faces Bahrain in Asian Cup round of 16
Soccer: Japan defeats Indonesia 3-1 to advance to the last 16 of the Asian Cup
Soccer: JFA condemns online abuse of Japan national team keeper Suzuki Zion