Japan
Rank: 47 World Cup appearances: Best result: Top SCORERS Did you know? Pikachu is Japan's official mascot for the World Cup this year.
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Japan's attacking flair and favourable draw have boosted belief they can reach a first World Cup quarterfinal, but those ambitions rely on coach Alberto Zaccheroni being able to fix their leaky defence.
Zaccheroni called on the Japanese Football Association (JFA) to find similarly testing fixtures for his charges to prepare them for the demands of a World Cup campaign and they duly obliged.
Zaccheroni has flirted in friendly matches with a 3-4-3 or 3-6-1 formation but seems set to employ a 4-2-3-1 for Brazil which would allow Atsuto Uchida and Yuto Nagatomo to attack from the fullback positions.
Neither, though, featured in Japan's most impressive result, a 3-2 win against a highly regarded Belgium in November which turned heads coming days after a 2-2 draw with Netherlands.
Yoichiro Kakitani has emerged as a talented forward more than capable of creating as well as taking chances, and he scored in Brussels.
He should get game time in Brazil along with another newcomer, Yuya Osako, although the experienced Shinji Okazaki is likely to claim the starting striker spot.
Central defender Maya Yoshida has struggled for appearances with English club Southampton this year but had one of his more impressive outings against Belgium alongside Masato Morishige in the heart of the defence.
Japan, with their attacking style at the forefront, are sure to be more entertaining than in their previous World Cup appearances, but may lack the defensive capabilities to be as successful in Brazil.
STRENGTH
Possession
Japan are excellent from a technical standpoint, and they keep the ball extremely well no matter the opposition. The full-backs, Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida, get forward brilliantly, and the midfield is packed with talent.
WEAKNESS
Lack of proven players
They've failed to find a settled No. 9 to lead the line and lack any top-tier centre-backs.
ONE TO WATCH
Keisuke Honda
If Japan are going to make a first World Cup quarterfinal they will require Keisuke Honda to be firing on all cylinders.
The bleach-blond playmaker is the central figure in coach Alberto Zaccheroni's attacking plans with the Asian champions, who are competing at their fifth successive World Cup since their debut appearance in 1998, confident of improving on their last-16 exit by Paraguay four years ago.
Honda is one of the survivors of the 2010 campaign, when he played as the central striker and scored a long-range free kick to help the Blue Samurai beat Denmark 3-1 in their final group game to advance to the knockout stages for only the second time.
He also scored a penalty in the shootout defeat against Paraguay to further emphasise his set-piece skills in what was a strong tournament for both team and individual.
With the arrival of Italian Zaccheroni as coach, Honda was switched back to playing behind the main striker and given greater influence in matches, which the 27-year-old has enjoyed.
But Honda has struggled to make the same impact and has often been selected in a deeper position among the central midfield trio.
Zaccheroni, though, understands Honda's talents and will be keen to see his man flourish back in the central attacking role in Brazil, which the player says "is in my DNA".
Coach: Alberto Zaccheroni
Zaccheroni has done his best over four years in charge of Japan to dismiss the stereotype of Italian football men being focused on defence.
The Italian coach has transformed the Blue Samurai into a high-tempo attacking unit full of flair and capable of cutting open and scoring against the toughest of oppositions. That exciting play is thanks to the exploits of playmakers Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda and is ably supported by forward thinking full backs Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida.
However, it comes at the cost of clean sheets.
Four goals were conceded against Uruguay and Italy last year, three against Brazil and China, and they also suffered upsets against Belarus, Serbia, Bulgaria and Jordan.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart)
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Makoto Hasebe (FC Nuremberg), Hiroshi Kiyotake (FC Nuremberg), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F. Marinos)
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Osako (TSV Munich 1860), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale)
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