Cote d'Ivoire vs Japan preview

Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2014 by watch-worldcup2014.com

Cote d’Ivoire will face Japan on June 14 for the FIFA World Cup 2014 football match. Cote d’Ivoire vs Japan will kick-off at Arena Pernambuco, Recife 22:00 local time. Cote d’Ivoire breezed through their opening qualifying team with 4 wins from their 6 matches. They racked up 15 targets to 5 conceded, and their only went down factors came from two draws against their largest rivals Morocco. Their home-and-away play-off was much trickier nonetheless as a resurgent Senegal stood in their means. For the last quarter of a hr of the second leg, the Senegalese were one goal away from knocking out the Elephants on away goals at 3-2 aggregate, however Salomon Kalou’s late target worked out the association and sent the Ivorians into their third successive World Cup finals.

Cote d’Ivoire boast some of the greatest individual talents in Africa. Forwards Drogba and Salomon Kalou are a formidable front set, while midfield duo Didier Zokora and Yaya Toure do essential ball-winning obligations in the middle of the park. Eruptive winger Gervinho supplies service from both flanks, with Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure supplying a wealth of encounter at the back.

On the other hand, the massive, two-year qualifying project viewed Japan progress game-by-game under Alberto Zaccheroni, that took control following the team’s remarkable run at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The new-look Japan were struggling to fit into the Italian’s strategy as they started their qualifying quote in lacklustre style, shedding to Uzbekistan and Korea DPR before seeing their progression into the 4th round safeguarded.

Their shift showed successful, influenced by talisman Keisuke Honda and spearheaded by the likes of Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki, the Japanese started to gel in the 4th round. Two emphatic opening triumphes over Oman (3-0) and Jordan (6-0) saw the Samurai Blue as the team’s runaway leaders and although they were held by Australia to a 1-1 draw, Oman and Iraq’s losses placed Zaccheroni’s side on the cusp of certification.

An unexpected 2-1 loss in Jordan may have briefly postponed their celebration party, however they fought back to attract Australia 1-1, supplying Japan with the requisite indicate seal their 5th successive FIFA World Cup appearance.

Having actually excelled throughout the last FIFA World Cup and the recent AFC Asian Cup, CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda has swiftly established his location as the team’s new leader, packing deep space left by Hidetoshi Nakata and Shunsuke Nakamura.

Spearheading the attacking-line are Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki, who finished the continental finals as the team’s top-scorer with three targets. Driving the central area together with Honda is set-piece expert Yasuhito Endo while Schalke 04 protector Atsuto Uchida is the key male at the rearguard