International Friendlies
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2 vs 0
Played
May 23, 2012 11:15 AM BST
Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa — Fukuroi
Referee:‬ A. Bin Abdul Bashir‎
Attendance:‬ 35000‎
 
43′ Shinji Kagawa
 
58′ (OG) Agil Nabiyev
 

Japan - Azerbaijan Preview: Honda expected to make first international start in nine months

The CSKA Moscow attacker's return to international play will be a highlight of Wednesday's friendly as Alberto Zaccheroni considers his World Cup qualifier options

By Dan Orlowitz

More On :  Azerbaijan, Japan, Japan vs Azerbaijan
Keisuke Honda - Japan (Getty Images)
Getty Images
  PROBABLE LINE-UPS

JAPAN

Kawashima
Uchida, Komano, Makino, Nagatomo
Hasebe, Hosogai
Honda, Nakamura, Kagawa
Okazaki
AZERBAIJAN
Aghayev
Medvedev, Abishov, Shukurov, Levin
Mammadov, Chertoganov, Nabiyev, Nadirov
Aliyev, Ozkara

In what could be generously described as an unusual match-up, Japan hosts 109th-ranked Azerbaijan on Wednesday night in a warm-up for the Samurai Blue ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Oman, Jordan and Australia in June.

The opponents, chosen by Alberto Zaccheroni for a similar level to Japan's two West Asian opponents, will serve as a foil for a Japan squad that will feature a mix of regulars, returnees and newcomers. The most anticipated player is undoubtedly Keisuke Honda, expected to make his international return after a nine-month absence. Ryo Miyaichi may also have a chance to shine after completing his loan spell at Bolton. The crowd at Ecopa Stadium will expect goals aplenty, and the hosts should be able to deliver in what should be an entertaining display.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Japan have not lost an international friendly since June 2010 in a pre-World Cup warm-up against Ivory Coast.
  • Out of 13 J-League players selected by Zaccheroni, four (Shuichi Gonda, Yuhei Tokunaga, Aria Jasuru Hasegawa (pictured), and Hideto Takahashi) come from FC Tokyo, the most of any team.
  • This match marks the first time that Gamba Osaka centre-back Yasuyuki Konno has been omitted from Zaccheroni's squad.
  • Azerbaijan won their last match, a February friendly in Dubai against India, by a 3-0 score.
  • Manager Berti Vogts won the World Cup playing for West Germany in 1974, then managed Germany to their 1996 Euro championship.
  • Azerbaijan managed a shock home win over Turkey in Euro 2012 qualifying while they also managed a draw with Belgium in Baku. However on the road they lost all five of their games.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Japan 8-0 Azerbaijan
    17.68 %
  • Japan 3-0 Azerbaijan
    12.46 %
  • Japan 4-0 Azerbaijan
    12.17 %
Head to Head
International Friendlies ‎(FR)‎ May 23, 2012 Japan 2 - Azerbaijan 0
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
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Last Five Matches
Japan
Mar 26, 2013Jordan 2 - Japan 1WCQ
Mar 22, 2013Japan 2 - Canada 1FR
Feb 6, 2013Japan 3 - Latvia 0FR
Nov 14, 2012Oman 1 - Japan 2WCQ
Oct 16, 2012Japan 0 - Brazil 4FR
Azerbaijan
Mar 26, 2013Azerbaijan 0 - Portugal 2WCQ
Mar 22, 2013Luxembourg 0 - Azerbaijan 0WCQ
Feb 6, 2013Azerbaijan 1 - Liechtenstein 0FR
Feb 1, 2013Azerbaijan 0 - Uzbekistan 0FR
Nov 14, 2012N. Ireland 1 - Azerbaijan 1WCQ
Odds
Returns: Japan £12.22 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £610.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Azerbaijan £810.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
1Eiji KawashimaGoalkeeper
6Atsuto UchidaDefender
2Masahiko InohaDefender
-Yuzo KuriharaDefender
5Yuto NagatomoDefender
13Hajime HosogaiMidfielder
4Keisuke HondaMidfielder
17Makoto HasebeMidfielder
9Shinji OkazakiStriker
10Shinji KagawaMidfielder
-Takayuki Morimoto
18Ryoichi MaedaStriker
20Hideto TakahashiDefender
4Hiroki SakaiDefender
-Ryo MiyaichiStriker
-Kengo NakamuraMidfielder
-Tomoaki MakinoDefender
1Kamran AgayevGoalkeeper
-Agil NabiyevDefender
-Maksim MedvedevDefender
4Mohir ShukurovMidfielder
15Ruslan AbushevDefender
-Ufuk Budak
5Elnur AllahverdiyevDefender
8Aleksandr ChertoganovMidfielder
-Ali GökdemirStriker
-Cihan ÖzkaraStriker
-Rauf AliyevStriker
-Vugar NadirovStriker
19Rahid AmirguliyevStriker
-Branimir SubasicStriker
Players to Watch
Keisuke Honda
Keisuke Honda
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 4
Games Goals YC RC
1 1 0 0
Many of the eyes in the stadium will be on Shinji Kagawa, but Honda's performance and connection with his team-mates after such a long time away from international competition will be of great interest to Alberto Zaccheroni.
Vugar Nadirov
Vugar Nadirov
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
1 0 0 0
Nadirov's fourth-minute goal in February's India friendly got Azerbaijan off to a roaring start; he'll need an even bigger miracle to help his team upset Japan.
Prediction
Japan will cruise to an easy victory in a match that holds no real significance to anyone except Alberto Zaccheroni, who specifically requested the match-up.
Editor's Prediction
Japan 4
Azerbaijan 0
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra
Midfielder
Al Faisaly Amman 		4 1
Andreas Cornelius Andreas Cornelius
Striker
Copenhagen 		4 1
Mikael Forssell Mikael Forssell
Striker
HJK Helsinki 		3 1
Fred Fred
Striker
Fluminense 		3 0
Felipe Caicedo Felipe Caicedo
Striker
Lokomotiv 		3 0