India will take on Japan in a humongous tie for their first game of the AFC Women’s Qualifying Tournament Round 2 for the Olympics 2024.
JPN vs IND Match Details
Date: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Time: 15:30 (IST)
Venue: Lokomotiv Stadium, Tashkent
JPN vs IND Match Preview
Being the 2023 Women’s World Cup favorites in most people’s minds due to their stellar show in the tournament, Japan was heart-broken to not make it past the quarter final stage. Losing to Sweden narrowly by 2-1. They were arguably the best team of the tournament and also beaten eventual winners Spain 4-0 in the group stages. Nevertheless, the Nadeshiko marched on with their immense quality in the squad defeating Argentina 8-0 in a friendly and also won the Gold at the Asian Games, albeit with an underage team, for the consecutive time. Japan will now eye qualification to the Olympics next year wishing to win the Gold to finally reward this immensely talented squad. Their second-round journey of the qualifiers begins against India on 26 October 2023 with Vietnam and Uzbekistan the other opponents in their group. The group winners are guaranteed for a spot in the final round and it will be a major shock if Futoshi Ikeda’s side are not able to achieve it.
India, on the other hand, exited from the group stages of the Asian Games losing to higher ranked oppositions Chinese Taipei (2-1) and Thailand (1-0). However, Thomas Dennerby’s girls put up an excellent fight and with a bit of luck could have easily drawn positive results from the games. Provided that the team was not in action for few months and only had a month-long training camp to prepare themselves for the event in China, one had to appreciate their performance and the improvement under the Swede’s second spell with the team. The Women’s national team will now enter a very crucial period with the second round of qualifiers beginning in Uzbekistan. The Blue Tigresses will face tougher opposition in this tournament than in the Asian Games making this round for the first time. As a case, they have made exposure tour to Saudi Arabia to be in the best possible shape before flying to Uzbekistan. The mighty Japan team stands in their way in the first game as India look to create history.
JPN vs IND Team News
Japan will count on their Women’s Super League or WSL players in England to deliver as they did in the Women’s World Cup few months back. The name Hinata Miyazawa will again circle around with the Golden Boot winner scoring five goals in five matches at the tournament. The 23-year-old made the move to Manchester United this summer and she will be assisted well from midfield by her teammate Yui Hasegawa from the city’s other club and rivals Manchester City. The evergreen captain Saki Kumagai will marshal the defense in the same lineup used at the World Cup. Two youngsters from the World Cup in Aoba Fujino and Maika Hamano though have not made it to the squad this time.
India too have retained their squad and likely to field the same lineup although without the call-up of strikers Jyoti Chouhan and Pyari Xaxa for the Olympic Qualifiers. The Dinamo Zagreb player’s exclusion means Manisha Kalyan of Apollon Ladies FC is the only player in the list playing on foreign soil. India is aiming for the runners-up spot despite strong challenge from Vietnam and Uzbekistan the next two games after Japan. While the eighth ranked nation in the world is undoubtedly the favorites to grab the top-spot, the Blue Tigresses will have to defend valiantly to prevent their goal-difference faltering massively. For that whatever back four or any other likely defensive formation India goes for, they have to pull off a miraculous act under the captaincy of Ashalata Devi.
JPN vs IND Predicted Lineups
JPN: Ayaka Yamashita; Hana Takahashi, Saki Kumagai, Moeka Minami; Risa Shimizu, Yui Hasegawa, Fuka Nagano, Jun Endo; Hinata Miyazawa, Riko Ueki; Mina Tanaka
IND: Shreya Hooda; Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi, Ashalata Devi, Sanju; Grace Dangmei, Sangita Basfore, Indumathi Kathiresan; Anju Tamang, Bala Devi, Manisha Kalyan
JPN vs IND Squad
Japan
Goalkeepers: Ayaka Yamashita (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Chika Hirao (Albirex Niigata), Momoko Tanaka (Tokyo Verdy Beleza)
Defenders: Saki Kumagai (AS Roma), Risa Shimizu (West Ham), Moeka Minami (AS Roma), Shiori Miyake (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds), Kiko Seike (Urawa Reds), Miyabi Moriya (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Reds)
Midfielders: Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City), Hina Sugita (Portland Thorns), Fuka Nagano (Liverpool), Jun Endo (Angel City FC), Hikaru Naomoto (Urawa Reds), Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United), Honoka Hayashi (West Ham), Yoshino Nakashima (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina)
Forwards: Mina Tanaka (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Riko Ueki (West Ham), Remina Chiba (JEF United Chiba)
Head Coach: Futoshi Ikeda
India
Goalkeepers: Sowmiya Narayanasamy (Gokulam Kerala), Shreya Hooda (Odisha FC), Elangbam Panthoi Chanu (Eastern Sporting Union)
Defenders: Ashalata Devi Loitongbam (Gokulam Kerala), Sweety Devi Ngangbam (Odisha FC), Ritu Rani (Mumbai Knights), Ranjana Chanu Sorokhaibam (Gokulam Kerala), Dalima Chhibber (Kickstart FC), Manisa Panna(Odisha FC), Shilky Devi Hemam (Gokulam Kerala), Astam Oraon (Kickstart FC)
Midfielders: Priyangka Devi Naorem (Sethu FC), Anju Tamang (Odisha FC), Indumathi Kathiresan, Sangita Basfore (SSB Women)
Forwards: Grace Dangmei (Gokulam Kerala), Soumya Guguloth (Gokulam Kerala), Renu (HOPS FC), Sandhiya Ranganathan (Gokulam Kerala), Bala Devi Ngangom (Odisha FC), Sanju (Sethu FC), Manisha Kalyan (Apollon Ladies FC)
Head Coach: Thomas Dennerby
