Japan, South Korea face away tests on road to 2026 World Cup
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Japan's Shogo Taniguchi and Ko Itakura during a World Cup qualifier against Australia.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HONG KONG – Japan can take a major step towards the 2026 World Cup Finals over the next week if they can negotiate away tests at Indonesia and China in the space of four days.
Son Heung-min’s South Korea will also look to close in on a spot at the showpiece event in North America as they travel to Kuwait on Nov 14 and then face Palestine in Jordan on Nov 19.
Meanwhile, Herve Renard, who masterminded a famous victory over eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, takes charge of Saudi Arabia for the first time since returning to the job.
But the spotlight will be on an estimated crowd of 78,000, who will pack out the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta in hope of seeing the world No. 130 hosts pull off a shock against world No. 15 Japan on Nov 15.
Hajime Moriyasu’s Samurai Blue will then need to face another hostile crowd when they travel to Xiamen on Nov 19 to play world No. 92 China.
“If you look at the Fifa rankings and the games in the World Cup qualifiers so far, you might think that the advantage is with Japan,” said Moriyasu.
“But we are playing both games away and I think it will be tough.”
With the third Asian qualifying round nearing the halfway point, Japan are five points clear at the top of Group C from Australia and Saudi Arabia, who face each other on Nov 14.
The top two from each of the three groups go straight to the World Cup.
China and Indonesia occupy the bottom two spots in Group C but are not out of the reckoning, as teams finishing third and fourth will advance to a further qualifying stage.
Moriyasu has called up Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi for the first time in a year as first-choice striker Ayase Ueda is injured.
Furuhashi has been prolific since joining the Glasgow club in 2021 but he has been used sparingly by Moriyasu, who left him out of his squads for the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Asian Cup.
The 29-year-old joins Celtic teammates Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate in the Japan squad.
Furuhashi, who was linked with a move to English champions Manchester City over the summer, has scored six goals in 16 games for the Scottish Premiership leaders in all competitions this season.
Australia host Saudi Arabia in Melbourne with both nations on five points after four games.
The Socceroos then travel to Bahrain on Nov 19 when the Saudis will play in Indonesia.
Like Japan, South Korea are on course for 2026, three points clear at the top of Group B.
They welcome back captain Son after he missed victories over Iraq and Jordan in October with a hamstring injury.
Coach Hong Myung-bo has hinted that he may manage the 32-year-old forward’s workload by restricting his playing time against the bottom two teams in the group, Kuwait and Palestine.
“People say the next two opponents are underdogs, but I think these will be extremely tough matches,” said Hong.
“I can absolutely say these matches will be even more important than the ones we played in October.”
Iran lead Uzbekistan on goal difference at the top of Group A, six points clear of the United Arab Emirates in third.
It will be top against bottom when Iran take on North Korea in the Laotian capital of Vientiane on Nov 14.
Uzbekistan visit Asian champions Qatar while the UAE host fifth-placed Kyrgyzstan.
AFP, REUTERS
