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Published: Monday February 9, 2009 MYT 5:12:00 PM
Updated: Monday February 9, 2009 MYT 5:17:10 PM

Football: Japan faces big challenge against Australia

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP): Japan and Australia will both face their toughest test so far in this World Cup qualifying campaign when meet on Wednesday.

Australia, which joined the Asian confederation after the 2006 World Cup, leads Group A with a maximum nine points from three wins approaching the halfway stage of the last round of Asian qualifying. Japan is on seven points with two wins and a draw.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek has said the pressure is on Japan to produce a win at home. Whether the 52-year-old Dutchman was playing mind games is anyone's guess, but he's probably right.

A loss on Wednesday wouldn't spell disaster for Japan, but would make things more difficult for coach Takeshi Okada, who steers the team for his second stint after Bosnian Ivica Osim suffered a stroke in 2007.

Under Okada, Japan hasn't quite lived up to the standard expected of one of Asia's top teams.

"Everybody understands that Australia is a top-level team," Okada said. "They are big and strong so it will be a difficult match, but I'm looking forward to it."

Okada has called up five Europe-based players including Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, who arrived in Japan last week and should be well-rested.

After a 1-0 loss to Bahrain in an Asian Cup qualifier last month, Okada faced harsh criticism at home but a 5-1 win over Finland in a friendly last week gave Japan a shot of confidence heading into Wednesday's match at Nissan Stadium.

Forwards Shinji Okazaki, who scored a pair of goals against Finland, and Wolfsburg's Yoshito Okubo should give Okada plenty of options up front.

Defenders Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Yuji Nakazawa will be called upon to deal with the likes of Everton midfielder Tim Cahill and Nakamura's Celtic teammate Scott McDonald.

Like Okada, Verbeek will rely heavily on Australia's overseas players. The Dutchman included only one A-League player in the squad after a disappointing scoreless draw by a team of domestic-based Socceroos at Indonesia last month in an Asian Cup qualifier.

"They have home advantage in a great stadium with great fans," Verbeek said. "But our advantage is that my players are very experienced in international football."

One break for Japan is the likely absence of Harry Kewell. Verbeek put Kewell on standby when he announced his 22-man squad but the midfielder is attempting a comeback after a hernia operation in mid-December and did not play in Galatasaray's 1-1 draw with Kayserispor on Saturday.

Verbeek is no stranger to Japanese football. He previously coached Omiya Ardija and Kyoto Sanga in the J-League and was in charge of the South Korean national team when it defeated Japan in the third-place playoff at the 2007 Asian Cup in Indonesia.

On Monday, officials from Football Federation Australia said Australia would wear black armbands during Wednesday's match to honor the memory of the more than 125 people killed in wildfires in Victoria state last weekend.

Wednesday's game will be the latest installment in a growing rivalry between the two nations. Australia beat Japan 3-1 in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, while Japan knocked Australia out of the 2007 Asian Cup quarterfinals in a penalty shootout.

The top two teams from each of the two five-team groups in Asia will qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Qatar, Uzbekistan and Bahrain are the other teams in Group A.

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