Japan captain Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi has warned South Korea to brace for a Samurai Blue backlash when the archrivals face off in the third-place game at the Asian Cup.
Japan coach Ivica Osim and his South Korea counterpart, Pim Verbeek , are both expected to ring the changes for Saturday's game in Palembang after suffering heartbreaking defeats in the semifinals.
Japan saw its bid for a third straight Asian Cup wrecked after a 3-2 defeat to three-time champion Saudi Arabia while South Korea, which brought a weakened squad to the continental championship, was knocked out in the semifinals by Iraq 4-3 on penalties.
Japan was expected by many to be meeting South Korea in Sunday's showpiece final in Jakarta but with an automatic berth to the 2011 Asian Cup up for grabs, there should be no shortage of blood and guts in the playoff on Sumatra island.