Japan should have little trouble clinching its place in the final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers when it faces Afghanistan and Syria over the coming week, but manager Vahid Halilhodzic will nonetheless be looking to lay down a marker for the year ahead.
Group E leader Japan faces Afghanistan in Saitama on Thursday before squaring off against second-place Syria at the same venue five days later. The fact that Syria remains only a point behind Japan means their showdown next Tuesday will likely decide the group winner, but with the best four second-place teams from the eight groups progressing to the next round, Japan still has margin for error.
That would certainly not make defeat acceptable in Halilhodzic's eyes, of course, and the Bosnian will be hoping to build on a strong finish to last year after a rocky patch over the summer. Japan has yet to concede a single goal during the qualification campaign, but Halilhodzic is keen to make sure his players do not take anything for granted.