Former Japanese International: The Result of the First Match Against China is Particularly Critical; Chinese Men’s Team Ranking is Low but True Strength is Unknown

The Asian qualifiers for the World Cup’s top 18 are about to kick off, with China set to face Japan in their first match. Former Japanese international Maeda Makoto believes that although China’s ranking is significantly lower than Japan’s, their true strength remains unclear, so Japan must be cautious.

This match will take place in Saitama, where the world No. 18 Japan will face the world No. 87 China, clearly having an advantage in terms of strength. However, Maeda Makoto thinks that China has several powerful naturalized players, which adds a lot of uncertainty to the game.

Japan is aiming for its eighth consecutive World Cup finals appearance, and the importance of the first match goes without saying. Looking back at history, Japan had a poor start in two consecutive tournaments, losing 0-1 to Oman in the last tournament and 1-2 to the UAE in the one before that. Regarding this, former Japanese international and current commentator Maeda Makoto expressed concern: “In previous qualifying matches, the first game always brought us unexpected results, so the key to this opening match is getting three points, not how the game progresses.”

Japan’s head coach Moriyasu Hajime also acknowledged the difficulty of the first qualifying match: “In the last tournament, after our loss in the first match, everyone thought we could easily pass, but it didn’t turn out as expected. Considering many players have just finished their European seasons, the long journey plus jet lag means their physical condition isn’t ideal.” Due to the fact that many Japanese players play in Europe, the challenge of this opening match is particularly significant.

At the same time, the strength of the Chinese team cannot be underestimated. Maeda Makoto pointed out: “The mystery surrounding the Chinese team makes people uneasy. Compared to other teams, our understanding of the Chinese team is limited, especially the performance of those naturalized players is unpredictable.”

In this Chinese squad, there are well-known players such as Alan and Jiang Guangtai. Although the attacking player Fei Nanduo has not made many appearances for the national team, his threat cannot be ignored. In addition, China has several players with extensive experience in European leagues, such as Wu Lei, who previously played for Espanyol in La Liga. Moreover, the Chinese team is coached by Croatian famous manager Ivankovic, who began a two-week training camp from the 24th, conducting in-depth research on Japan’s tactics. If Japan wants to overcome the ‘ghost gate’, they must give their all in the match and strive for a good start.