Japan vs Senegal. FIFA World Cup Group H.
Central Stadium, YekaterinburgAttendance32,572.
Sunday 24 June 2018 15:24, UK
Japan coach Akira Nishino is looking beyond Sadio Mane for Senegal dangermen when the two sides go head to head in Group H on Sunday.
The two unfancied sides are in a group also containing Colombia and Poland lead the standings after one game, and in pole position to make the knockout stages - something these two countries have done only three times between them.
Much like their opponents on Sunday, Senegal lack a plethora of stars, with Mane by far their most notable player.
But he was quiet in the African side's 2-0 win over Poland in their first group game - and Nishino is expecting the rest of Senegal's line-up to prove just as dangerous as the Liverpool forward.
"It's possible to stop him, but he has an influence on the other players and that's what we are concerned about," Nishino said.
Both sides are approaching the match with confidence after winning their opening games - Japan 2-1 against Colombia, and Senegal by the same margin against Poland.
Nishino repeatedly emphasised the speed, physicality and organisation of the Senegal team and said the smaller Japanese would need to adapt their gameplan accordingly.
"For the past several days, I have been telling my players to gain five centimetres and five kilograms but it failed, so we need other measures," he joked. "Of course there is a ball, and through using the ball we are going to take on Senegal.
"If there's a lot of physical contact then we will be at a disadvantage, therefore we will have to make some variations and then we can use our quickness. We need to move the ball well.
"The (Senegal) weak point? I can't come up with that at the moment, so rather than physicality, we have to use our brain to come up with some tactics and strategies."
Before this tournament Senegal had not qualified for a World Cup since reaching the quarter-finals in 2002, sending Sweden, Uruguay and France home in the process.
But the North Africans, who have lost only one of their last 11 games under Aliou Cisse, can emulate their counterparts of 16 years ago, according to the former Birmingham defender.
"We want to do at least as well as the 2002 generation," he said. "That was a beautiful generation but so is this one. But only by winning matches we can do better than 2002.
"We have won only one match already. The mentalities are different between these two groups - mostly in the head. We had more extrovert characters then, they are more introverted now."
Five wins and three draws en route to qualification, and a penalty shootout defeat in last year's African Cup of Nations quarter-finals to eventual winners Cameroon have stoked interest in the national side under Cisse.
And he sees the potential of his side on the back of their surprise win over Poland last time out, with motivation drawn as much from Senegal's 16-year wait to return to the World Cup than their results last time they did reach the finals.
He said: "These are players who have grown. I am with players who have been in the national team for a long time and they are at big clubs. They want to write their own history. We don't have a World Cup every year. They know that this could be their last. That is close to their heart."
Keisuke Honda's bruised thigh could keep him out of the game, having suffered the slight knock after coming on against Colombia in Japan's first game.
There are no injury problems for Senegal following their 2-1 win over Poland, so Cisse may be tempted to stick with the same starting line-up that won that game.
After they both won their first game, this has got draw written all over it.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Sky Bet make Senegal 23/20 favourites against Japan, who are priced at 11/4, with the draw 11/5. Yuya Osako is considered Japan's main threat at 6/1 to open the scoring, while Senegal's Diafra Sakho sits at 9/2 favourite to break the deadlock. Akira Nishino's men are 200/1 to win the entire tournament, whereas Senegal are half that price at 100/1.
