Two nations looking to return to form will do battle today in an international friendly between Japan and Singapore. The match scheduled for 6:45 a.m. ET will be held at the National Stadium in Singapore and can be live streamed here free.
Brazil head coach Dunga had this to offer ahead of today's international encounter (via Sky Sports): "If we lose focus in the Japan game, all we've been doing so far will be lost and criticism will come up. They will say the national team is not the one it used to be any more."
Striker Diego Tardelli doubled down on the importance of today's friendly, adding: "I want to profit from every minute in the national team, both on and off the field. I want to play the next World Cup and it starts right now. Each match is very important to me."
New Japan head coach Javier Aguirre is attempting to build on the momentum of the team's 1-0 victory over Jamaica on Friday. Defender Yuto Nagatomo said of Aguirre: "I think his strategy and coaching methods are good; although he is strict, he is a very approachable person. His training is short and very intensive and the speed of his sessions, I think, benefits us."
"It will be a difficult match against Brazil," he added when asked about today's opposition. "But we will work hard to get a result. This is a new team under a new coach and it is a new start for us."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Japan's Shinji Kagawa has enjoyed success since returning to Borussia Dortmund. The 25-year-old has one goal in five appearances and is averaging 1.6 key passes per match.
Japan's Projected Lineup (4-5-1): Nishikawa; Morishige, Nagatomo, Sakai, Shiotani; Muto, Kagawa, Sosogal, Shibasaki, Honda; Okazaki
Brazil's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Jefferson; Danilo, Miranda, Gil, Felipe; Elias, Luiz Gustavo; Willian, Oscar; D. Tardelli, Neymar
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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