Two teams searching for their first victory of the year will square off on Tuesday at Yodoko Sakura Stadium in Osaka as Japan play host to Colombia in the Kirin Challenge Cup.
Japan came back to draw Uruguay 1-1 on Friday, while La Tricolor erased a two-goal deficit, playing South Korea to a 2-2 tie.
Match preview
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Over three months after their heartbreaking exit from the World Cup on penalties against Croatia, the Samurai Blue return to a competition they know well, the Kirin Cup.
It is a tournament which was invented by Japan originally for clubs before becoming an international event in 1992.
Historically, the Japanese have been hugely successful in this competition, winning it 11 times, more than any nation that has ever taken part.
While they fell short of their goal to reach the quarter-finals in Qatar last winter, there were plenty of positive signs for this program in the future, as they came back to defeat a pair of former world champions in Germany and Spain (2-1), topping their group for the first time in over 20 years.
Their achievements in Qatar convinced the federation to retain Hajime Moriyasu as manager, following speculation that they may consider new candidates after the World Cup, with the name Marcelo Bielsa among those mentioned.
Tuesday will be their first match on Japanese soil since beating South Korea 3-0 in the final of the EEAFF E-1 Football Championship, posting three successive clean sheets in the land of the rising sun.
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The Nestor Lorenzo tenure in Colombia has begun promisingly, as the South Americans have not lost since he took over and are unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions.
Having a familiar face on the sidelines seems to have brought a team coming off a failed World Cup qualification campaign back together, with Lorenzo previously serving as an assistant to Jose Pekerman with the Colombians from 2012 to 2019.
Lorenzo may not be the most experienced manager, with his only previous job as a head coach coming at Melgar in Peru, but his appointment has paid off so far.
It has been over a year since they suffered a defeat outside of Colombia, falling 1-0 to Argentina in a February 2022 World Cup qualifier.
Their draw with South Korea last week was the first time they faced an Asian opponent this year, with Los Cafeteros now unbeaten against that region since falling 2-1 to those same Koreans in March 2019.
Only three South American teams have claimed victory at the Kirin Challenge Cup, but none since 2011, when Peru shared the title alongside Japan and the Czech Republic.
Team News
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Wataru Endo needs two more appearances for Japan to reach 50 after playing the full 90 minutes versus Uruguay, in a game where Keito Nakamura earned his first international cap, replacing Yukinari Sugawara in the final few minutes, while Ayumu Seko also featured in his first match for the Samurai Blue.
Meanwhile, Riku Handa, Haruya Fujii, Koki Machida and Kashif Bangnagande are all seeking their first appearance with the national team.
Takuma Nishimura scored 15 minutes from the end, allowing Japan to draw Uruguay in their previous encounter, his third strike in just four international appearances, while Takuma Asano has netted eight times with the Samurai Blue, his last one being the winner against Germany at the World Cup last winter.
Radamel Falcao picked up his 103rd cap for Colombia on Friday, replacing Diego Valoyes late in the second half versus South Korea, Nelson Palacio made his first international appearance in injury time and Dylan Borrero featured for only the second time.
James Rodriguez moved to within nine goals of Falcao for the most all-time, firing home his 27th with the national team, while the first for Jorge Carrascal was enough to earn them a result against South Korea.
The last time they faced Japan was at this competition was in 2019, when Falcao had the only goal as Camilo Vargas collected a clean sheet in a 1-0 triumph.
Japan possible starting lineup:
Schmidt; Sugawara, Itakura, Machida, H. Ito; J. Ito, Endo, Morita, Kamada; Asano, Nishimura
Colombia possible starting lineup:
Vasquez; Palacios, Cuesta, Lucumi, Mojica; Uribe, Velasquez; Arias, Rodriguez, Carrascal; Falcao
We say: Japan 1-1 Colombia
Both teams are in good form with creative players and plenty of quality, so we expect there to be chances at both ends in what promises to be an even game, and given the fighting spirit of each, we will call this one an even draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
