Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic has warned his players not to "fall into traps" laid by Syria on Tuesday night and called for cool heads in the final match of the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
"This is the last match of the group and for us it will be a cup final," Halilhodzic told a press conference at Saitama Stadium on Monday. "It is a game between the strongest teams in the group and a final we have to win.
"It is not going to be an easy game against a team that can score goals, and we have to have a fire in our bellies and make sure we don't fall into their traps. They will try and break up our rhythm, provoke us by faking fouls and play acting, and I just hope the referee is ready for that. We can't let that sort of thing frustrate us and I have told the players they need to be in control."