International Friendly - Japan vs England
Japan vs England live online
Match date: 30 May, 2010 - Kick Off : 13:15 UK Time
Stadium: UPC Arena
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England take on Japan in Graz in their last friendly fixture before Fabio Capello announces his 23-man squad for the World Cup.
With a number of players still looking to stake their claim for a place on the plane to South Africa, it will be interesting to see if Capello selects an experimental side, or looks to pick the eleven that he intends to go with against the USA on June 12.
Both Robert Green and Joe Hart put in solid performances against Mexico, the former making two world class saves to keep England ahead in the first half. With David James available again after being rested on Monday night, Capello still faces a tough decision on who to pick between the posts.The Italian has already said that Ledley King will not feature before the squad flies out to South Africa, so ex-captain John Terry is likely to return to partner Rio Ferdinand in the centre of defence.Terry’s Chelsea team-mates Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard are also both likely to return after sitting out the Mexico game, while Joe Cole will be sweating on his World Cup place if he fails to feature on Sunday.
Despite an unconvincing display against Mexico, England have been impressive throughout qualifying, notably destroying Croatia home and away with 4-1 and 5-1 wins. Peter Crouch got his name on the score-sheet again on Monday night and is likely to start with Wayne Rooney upfront in Capello’s preferred 4-4-2 formation.
Japan have been far from impressive in their recent games, losing three out of their last four home games, including defeats to Korea Republic and Serbia. They lost their second game in four months against the Koreans on Monday and have faced widespread criticism for their performances. Former coach Philippe Troussier launched a scathing attack on Takeshi Okada’s team, and they will surely be looking to improve if they are to compete at the World Cup.
FORM FLASHBACK
England
24 May: England 3-1 Mexico (Friendly)
03 Mar: England 3-1 Egypt (Friendly)
14 Nov: Brazil 1-0 England (Friendly)
14 Oct: England 3-0 Belarus (World Cup qualifier)
10 Oct: Ukraine 1-0 England (World Cup qualifier)
Japan
24 May: Japan 0-2 Korea Republic (Friendly)
7 April: Japan 0-3 Serbia (Friendly)
3 March: Japan 2-0 Bahrain (Friendly)
14 Feb: Japan 1-3 Korea Republic (2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification)
11 Feb: Japan 3-0 Hong Kong (2010 East Asian Football Championship)
TEAM NEWS
England
Chelsea and Portsmouth players should be available again after missing the Mexico game after their FA Cup exploits.
Gareth Barry is still out with an ankle injury, and will not feature as Fabio Capello looks to give the Manchester City midfielder as much time as possible to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup.
Steven Gerrard looked to have picked up a slight injury in yesterday’s training session but the FA have confirmed that he could train as normal today, so the Liverpool captain should be available to face Japan.
Possible starting line-up: Green, Johnson, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Carrick, Walcott, Crouch, Rooney.
Japan
Japan coach Takeshi Okada has said that he intends to stick with his team despite growing criticism of their performances in recent weeks.
Former Celtic player Shunsuke Nakamura should feature at some point, and the midfielder could cause England a few problems if given time on the ball and an opportunity to pick a pass.
Possible starting line-up: Narazaki, Uchida, Nakazawa, Tanaka, Nagatomo, Tamada, Endo, Hasebe, Nakamura, Okazaki, Honda.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
England
As always England’s main threat is likely to come from Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United striker recently said that he is saving his goals for the World Cup, but in England’s last game before flying out to South Africa he will be keen to remind everyone of the form that saw him score 34 times in 44 appearances for his club this season.
Japan
Espanyol midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura could be a big threat to the England defence. The former Celtic playmaker is skilful on the ball and has the vision to pick out a pass that can cut a team apart. With a deadly left foot, Nakamura has also proved to be a set-piece specialist and England should be wary of giving away any free-kicks within 30 yards of goal, as it could prove to be very costly.
England take on Japan in Graz in their last friendly fixture before Fabio Capello announces his 23-man squad for the World Cup.
With a number of players still looking to stake their claim for a place on the plane to South Africa, it will be interesting to see if Capello selects an experimental side, or looks to pick the eleven that he intends to go with against the USA on June 12.
Both Robert Green and Joe Hart put in solid performances against Mexico, the former making two world class saves to keep England ahead in the first half. With David James available again after being rested on Monday night, Capello still faces a tough decision on who to pick between the posts.The Italian has already said that Ledley King will not feature before the squad flies out to South Africa, so ex-captain John Terry is likely to return to partner Rio Ferdinand in the centre of defence.Terry’s Chelsea team-mates Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard are also both likely to return after sitting out the Mexico game, while Joe Cole will be sweating on his World Cup place if he fails to feature on Sunday.
Despite an unconvincing display against Mexico, England have been impressive throughout qualifying, notably destroying Croatia home and away with 4-1 and 5-1 wins. Peter Crouch got his name on the score-sheet again on Monday night and is likely to start with Wayne Rooney upfront in Capello’s preferred 4-4-2 formation.
Japan have been far from impressive in their recent games, losing three out of their last four home games, including defeats to Korea Republic and Serbia. They lost their second game in four months against the Koreans on Monday and have faced widespread criticism for their performances. Former coach Philippe Troussier launched a scathing attack on Takeshi Okada’s team, and they will surely be looking to improve if they are to compete at the World Cup.
FORM FLASHBACK
England
24 May: England 3-1 Mexico (Friendly)
03 Mar: England 3-1 Egypt (Friendly)
14 Nov: Brazil 1-0 England (Friendly)
14 Oct: England 3-0 Belarus (World Cup qualifier)
10 Oct: Ukraine 1-0 England (World Cup qualifier)
Japan
24 May: Japan 0-2 Korea Republic (Friendly)
7 April: Japan 0-3 Serbia (Friendly)
3 March: Japan 2-0 Bahrain (Friendly)
14 Feb: Japan 1-3 Korea Republic (2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification)
11 Feb: Japan 3-0 Hong Kong (2010 East Asian Football Championship)
TEAM NEWS
England
Chelsea and Portsmouth players should be available again after missing the Mexico game after their FA Cup exploits.
Gareth Barry is still out with an ankle injury, and will not feature as Fabio Capello looks to give the Manchester City midfielder as much time as possible to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup.
Steven Gerrard looked to have picked up a slight injury in yesterday’s training session but the FA have confirmed that he could train as normal today, so the Liverpool captain should be available to face Japan.
Possible starting line-up: Green, Johnson, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Carrick, Walcott, Crouch, Rooney.
Japan
Japan coach Takeshi Okada has said that he intends to stick with his team despite growing criticism of their performances in recent weeks.
Former Celtic player Shunsuke Nakamura should feature at some point, and the midfielder could cause England a few problems if given time on the ball and an opportunity to pick a pass.
Possible starting line-up: Narazaki, Uchida, Nakazawa, Tanaka, Nagatomo, Tamada, Endo, Hasebe, Nakamura, Okazaki, Honda.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
England
As always England’s main threat is likely to come from Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United striker recently said that he is saving his goals for the World Cup, but in England’s last game before flying out to South Africa he will be keen to remind everyone of the form that saw him score 34 times in 44 appearances for his club this season.
Japan
Espanyol midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura could be a big threat to the England defence. The former Celtic playmaker is skilful on the ball and has the vision to pick out a pass that can cut a team apart. With a deadly left foot, Nakamura has also proved to be a set-piece specialist and England should be wary of giving away any free-kicks within 30 yards of goal, as it could prove to be very costly.
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