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The Samurai Blue will have their first training session on Friday at Al Sadd Club’s training facilities in Doha, team officials have told the media here.
On Thursday morning, Doha touched six J.League players, including veteran Tokyo defender Yuto Nagatomo, Shonan Bellmar forward Shoto Machino, Kawasaki Frontale defenders Shogo Taniguchi and Miki Yamane, Nagoya Grampus winger Yuki Soma and Shimizu S-Pulse goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda. . from Japan Globalism Cup team before the tournament November 20 – December 18.
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The 36-year-old is set to feature in four World Cup finals when Japan begin their Group E campaign against four-times champions Germany on November 23.
Among the local J. League players arriving in Qatar alongside the former Inter Milan star and Galatasaray man was Nagatomo Machino, who was called up late as an injury substitute.
Another J.League player arriving in Doha on Friday is Urawa Reds defender Hiroki Sakai, who is expected to catch the flight late Thursday to Doha.
With manager Hajime Moriyasu having the majority of Europe’s professional players in the 26-man World Cup squad, the Samurai Blue will go through their full session at the conclusion of Sunday’s Europa League final round, while players are already in the Doha camp. They will have their first practice on Friday.
The team is a mixture of youth and experience and is made up of 19 junior World Cup players, 10 of whom were part of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics team that reached the semi-finals under Moriyasu’s technical guidance.
The Japanese squad also includes playmakers Daiichi Kamada, who plays for Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, and Sporting CP’s Hidemasa Morita, both of whom have excelled in the Champions League this season and will therefore aim to continue their fine run in the Bundesliga. World Cup finals, which will be the first for both.
Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad, the youngest player in the team at the age of 21, in addition to Junia Eto’o (Stade de Reims) and Kauru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), are some of the professional players in Europe, who have been playing the purple patch this season and will be keen To perform on the biggest stage.
Ritsu Doan (FC Freiburg), Daisen Maeda (Celtic FC) and Yuki are among the players who made up the squad for the Tokyo Olympics.
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Other veterans in the squad besides Nagatomo include Eiji Kawashima (RC Strasbourg). At 39 he is the oldest member of the squad and will be participating in his fourth World Cup.
Team captains Maya Yoshida (FC Schalke 04) and Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Red Diamonds) will make their third consecutive appearance in Doha, while Gaku Shibasaki (CD Leganes) and Wataru Endo (VfB Stuttgart), who played together at the 2018 World Cup, will also make their appearances. FIFA. Russia will be playing in their second World Cup finals alongside Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), who will return after making his debut at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Samurai Blue will play their last warm-up match before the tournament against Canada in Dubai on November 17.
Besides the German opener, Japan faces Costa Rica four days later. Then they will conclude their campaign in the group stage against Spain on the first of December, hoping to reach the round of sixteen from a difficult group.
Japan has the best record for an Asian country in a World Cup having reached the knockout stage of the tournament three times, the most of any Asian country and
Moriyasu’s side are aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their seventh appearance at the FIFA World Cup™.
In the 2018 World Cup, Japan became the first Asian nation to defeat a South American team, after defeating Colombia 2-1 in the group stage. The team reached the last 16 semi-finals, but lost to Belgium 3-2.
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