Japan captain Maya Yoshida said his team has plans to counter whatever defensive scheme Costa Rica use in their World Cup matchup on Sunday in Qatar.
They will press, or sit back, he said after training in a very warm Doha on Saturday, but Japan can take advantage of either.
"If they make a good (compact) defensive block we try to control the game, maybe use positioning much more than them and in the end, time-by-time, they have to come out," said the 34-year-old Schalke defender and veteran of three World Cups. "We are waiting for that kind of opportunity.