Kagawa and Honda included in Japan squad for friendly against Venezuela

Aug 9, 2012 1:00:00 PM

Three Samurai Blue defenders were omitted from the squad due to suspensions, but attendees at the Sapporo Dome friendly will be able to observe Japan's top attackers on display

The Japan Football Association (JFA) on Thursday announced its selections for the country's upcoming friendly against Venezuela next Wednesday in Sapporo.

Half of the squad of 22 players hail from European leagues, with the remaining 11 belonging to J-League teams.

The full-strength roster includes Manchester United newcomer Shinji Kagawa and CSKA Moscow star Keisuke Honda as well as Arsenal's Ryo Miyaichi, but does not feature defenders Atsuto Uchida, Yuzo Kurisawa, and Yasuyuki Konno, all of whom are suspended for Japan's September 11 World Cup qualifier against Iraq.

Fresh from their Olympic campaign will be back-up goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, as well as defenders Maya Yoshida and Gotoku Sakai. Fellow Olympians Hiroki Sakai and Hiroshi Kiyotake were omitted from the squad to avoid fatigue as they look towards their respective Bundesliga debuts.

Japan will host Venezuela at the Sapporo Dome on August 15.

Japan roster for Venezuela friendly:

Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shunsaku Nishikawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)

Defenders: Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Maya Yoshida (VVV), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Masahiko Inoha (Vissel Kobe), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter), Tomoaki Makino (Urawa Reds), Hiroku Mizumoto (Sanfrecce), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart)

Midfielders: Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Hajime Hosogai (Leverkusen), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow), Hideto Takahashi (FC Tokyo), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka)

Forwards: Ryoichi Maeda (Jubilo), Shinji Okazaki (Stuttgart), Kengo Fujimoto (Nagoya Grampus), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Mike Havenaar (Vitesse), Ryo Miyaichi (Arsenal)

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