Preview: Ivory Coast v Japan - 2014 FIFA World Cup

Shinji Kagawa will be the man to look out for

There’s already been a great deal of buzz and excitement around what spectators have seen on football pitches right across Brazil, and Sunday night’s Group C clash between Ivory Coast and Japan should produce something to rival it. With so many big names on show, it’s likely the follow-on from the England-Italy match will entice people to push on through to watch the fourth match of the day – they might just be rewarded with a great contest if they do, because it’s likely we’ll see goals inside the Arena Pernambuco. But just who’ll come out on top is something that’s proving difficult for many to predict. For Sabri Lamouchi’s charges, this is a big chance for his golden boys to finally make their mark on the world’s biggest stage, while Japan will surely set out to match the high-intensity displays they churned out in the Confederations Cup last year. Far from a case of silky technicians versus slumbering giants, this one certainly has enough ingredients to keep even the most sleepy football fans wide awake.

Venue

Itaipava Arena Pernabuco in Recife, as mentioned above, will host the Group C clash. With an impressive capacity of just over 46,000 – and a full house expected – the atmosphere is set to be absolutely electric; the noise when one of the globe’s best midfielders, Yaya Toure, gets the ball delivered into feet will be palpable. Having played host to crowds at the Confederations Cup just 12 months ago, it’s one of the stadiums that has already had somewhat of a test-run and should be in tip-top shape.

Kick-off Time

June 15 – 6:30 am – Indian Standard Time (IST)

June 14 – 10.00 pm – Local Time

Possible Starting Line-Ups

Lamouchi tends not to adapt his formation too much from his favoured 4-3-3. Adhering to a system that rarely changes might well be the weakness in their armour that Japan can exploit – they’ll probably need a ‘plan B’ at some point along the way.

Ivory Coast (4-3-3) : Barry; Boka, Bamba, K. Toure, Aurier; Die, Y. Toure, Tiote; Kalou, Gervinho, Drogba.

Having won the Asia Cup and the East Asian Cup titles already during his reign in Japan, Alberto Zaccheroni has been a great success story for the Japanese. With great coaching experience in the Serie A, his 4-2-3-1 system has been quite a joy to watch.

Japan (4-2-3-1): Kawashima; Nagatomo, Konno, Yoshida, Uchida; Endo, Hasebe; Kagawa, Honda, Okazaki; Kakitani

How They Will Line Up

Bar any last-minute withdrawals, this is how the two teams should line-out.

Key Facts and Stats

- This is the third consecutive time the Ivorians have qualified for the World Cup.

- The last two occasions they qualified, Les Elephantes failed to make it out of their group; something they’ll be keen to put right this time around.

- Japan have never made it past the last 16, they’ve reached twice already – in 2002 and in South Africa four years ago.

- Shinji Kagawa and company have won all of their last five matches, which included a huge, confidence-boosting win over one of the World Cup favourites, Belgium.

- Lamouchi’s team have recorded a win against El Salvador, a loss against Bosnia Herzegovina and a draw against Belgium in their last three friendly matches.

Key Battles

Didier Drogba v. Eji Kawashima

With his contract up at Galatasaray, it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility to see the former Chelsea hero back playing in England’s top-flight in the very near future. And, in truth, he’ll be looking to use this tournament as a springboard for his career. If he can net a few goals this weekend against Japan, the 36-year-old towering forward will prove to everybody that he isn’t past his best just yet. His expected duel with Japanese custodian Eji Kawashima should be a thrilling one indeed. No doubt, Kawashima will need to be in inspired form – from his distribution to his agile saves – but if he can keep a cool head and command his back-four diligently enough, we might just see a frustrated Drogba at the end of the game. Buckle yourselves in for a thrilling ride, folks.

Shinji Kagawa v. Serge Aurier

He didn’t quite snag the fairytale move to England that he would have liked as his Manchester United dream soon soured into a nightmarish slog, but Shinji Kagawa knows that now is the time to put all that behind him and move on. The best way for the 25-year-old to eradicate the bad memories of David Moyes’ terrifically poor reign would be to make some new, hopeful ones with his national team compatriots. Playing in a three-pronged midfield attack, just behind Kakitani, he’ll have free license to roam inside to challenge to central defenders or to run at the Ivory Coast’s likely right-back, Serge Aurier. Of course, the 21-year-old Toulouse FC rising star will be out to prove his worth in salt too with a commanding defensive display. And as he’s already caught quite a few eyes in recent months, this would be the ideal time to rise up and announce his full potential for all to see. No doubt, putting the former Borussia Dortmund man in his place would go some way to doing exactly that.

Prediction

Ivory Coast have underachieved time and again on the biggest international stage of them all, and while the pressure will be on them for it not to happen again, there’s a chance they’ll approach this match with a positive mentality. If they do that, the surprise package of last year’s World Cup warm-up competition will have their hands full, particularly as they’re a far more physical side. As for Japan, they’ve proven they can mix it with the best as their memorable clash with Italy last summer showed. They’ve got pace, flair and they’re über-positive. This really does have all the hallmarks of a fun game to watch for the neutrals.

Predicted Score-line: Ivory Coast 2-2 Japan

Match Officials

On-field Referee: Enrique OSSES (CHI)

Assistant Referee 1: Carlos ASTROZA (CHI)

Assistant Referee 2: Sergio ROMAN (CHI)

Fourth Official: ALIOUM (CMR)