France and Japan will have one thing in common: a collection of fine strikers and midfielders. And the one big difference in favour of Japan is the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions here. As Japan has already been to India (Goa) for the Asian Football Confederations u-16 championship late last year, it does seem to have an upper hand.
When the two teams take to the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Wednesday in what is considered to be a potential Group-E topper contest of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, who can manage the conditions better, might have a huge bearing on the match.
The way the two teams demolished their opponents the other day showed they would be eager to go all-out to make a match out of it.
To judge France on the basis of its one-sided match against New Caledonia, a debutant, will be unfair, but the team has shown flair and enterprise. Japan wasn’t far behind for the way it handled Honduras, a team that has made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup once.
It was a master-class by Japan in the way it dismantled Honduras. Takefusa Kubo, the ‘Japanese Messi’, scored one and assisted in another, and mostly played second fiddle to Keito Nakamura, who scored a hat-trick.
Man to man, there is little to differentiate between the two. The teams must, however, remember that their defence hasn’t been tested to the optimum. That is where the focus could be.
Japan coach Yoshiro Moriyama said he’s aware of France’s strengths. “We have to move the ball well, try to dominate the game. They have a team of good forwards, a team of good quality. We need to defend well.”
“Defence is essential,” said French coach Lionel Rouxel, on looking ahead to the team’s clash with Japan. “They are a really good team.”
For the fans who came in large numbers to watch the opener, will, hopefully, throng the venue to witness the best teams in the Group slug it out with each other.
