Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic is confident his players can overcome the loss of captain Makoto Hasebe for Thursday's vital World Cup qualifier away to the United Arab Emirates.
But the Franco-Bosnian coach refused to reveal who would take the captain's armband when his side goes in search of revenge for its controversial 2-1 loss to the UAE at home in its opening match in the final round in September.
Hasebe pulled out of the squad on Monday and flew back to Japan to undergo surgery on his right knee after injuring it while playing with his German club, Eintracht Frankfurt.