Japan and Chile meet at the Estadio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, in Morumbi, in São Paulo, in a game to count for the 1st round of Group C of the Copa América. The only direct confrontation between these two selections, a friendly in 2008, ended in a goalless draw.
Japan:
The Japanese national team is one of the historically strongest teams in Asia, being the country with the most titles in its continent, four in total. In their most recent participation in the Asian Cup, in January, the Japanese lost in the final against Qatar, the other team invited to this Copa América. In the last match Japan won in a friendly game of preparation with El Salvador 2-0: the two goals of the team were scored by Kensuke Nagai.
In this game against Chile, one of the most complicated rivals of the competition, coach Hajime Moriyasu must line up in the usual 4-4-2, with Gaku Shibasaki being responsible for organizing and creating the offensive process. The left winger Shoya Nakajima, who represents Al Duhail, is one of the most dangerous players in the attack, being very fast and strong in transporting the ball towards the attack. Everything indicates that the Japanese coach can count on all the usual players.
Chile:
The national team of Chile is the current champion of the Copa América, after winning the cup in the last two editions, in 2015 and 2016. It should be noted that these are the only titles of Chile in the competition. It is important to underline that the Chilean team comes to this match with a 2-1 victory against Haiti, returning to the triumphs after two consecutive matches without winning in friendly games: the goals of the team were scored by Eduargo Vargas and Fuenzalida.
In this confrontation with Japan, a rival with some technical weaknesses, coach Reinaldo Roda is expected to play in 4-2-3-1, privileging the maintenance of ball possession and organized attacks, mainly through the flanks. It is important to underline that Chile has competition in the air game, defensive stops and finishing balls. On an individual level, Chile has goalkeeper Cláudio Bravo, midfielder Arturo Vidal and forward Alexis Sánchez. The entire template is available for this game.
