Asian heavyweights Japan are facing a series of injury scares ahead of their first game in the qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup against Thailand today.
Japan are in Asian Group Two, which also includes Bahrain and Oman, in their bid to make it to their fourth straight World Cup.
Four forwards have fitness problems, with former Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara hurting his right thigh and Seiichiro Maki injuring his right side, both in a friendly against Bosnia and Hercegovina a week ago.
Kobe forward Yoshito Okubo has inflammation on his right knee, while Iwata forward Ryoichi Maeda has a cold.
The Japanese forwards, however, insist they are ready for the match.
"I have no problem for the game. Pain? I don't feel any pain when I'm playing," Maki said.
Okubo said he would try his best to score.
"This is a match we can't afford to lose to Thailand. I really want to win," he said.
Thailand have experienced a different kind of uncertainty as players saw snow for the first time in their lives last weekend, forcing them to abandon proper training for today's faceoff in the Tokyo suburb of Saitama.
"We don't have snow in Thailand. We can postpone a game when heavy rain makes pitch conditions bad. I leave it to the Asian Confederation," Thailand coach Chanvit Phalajivin said after being forced to practice indoors.
The top two teams in Asian Group Two will move on to another qualifying round for tickets to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Thailand are led by three Manchester City FC players -- Suree Sukha, Kiatprawut Saiwaeo and Teerasil Dangda -- who defeated 2006 Asian club champions Jeonbuk Hyundai of South Korea 2-0 on Friday.
"My players are in their best form. It will be an interesting game," Chanvit said.
"It's a tough group, with Japan being the unquestionable favorites. However, I think we can take the group's second qualifying place by beating Bahrain and Oman. To advance from this group we would probably need 10 points, so we not only need to win our home game, but try to get results away from home," he said.
Japan coach Takeshi Okada, who took over in December to replace the ailing Ivica Osim, hoped that the home crowd would give Japan "a stronger fighting spirit" against Thailand.
"I expect Thailand to defend tightly and try to counter-attack. They are also good at set-piece play," he said.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS