Japan team suffers injury loss

The Japanese team has received consecutive bad news about personnel right before the 2023 Asian Cup finals officially begin.

The Japanese team is considered to have the ability to enter the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup. (Source: Getty Images)

Specifically, two players Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo are injured and the possibility of them joining the Japanese team on the trip to Qatar is still open.

According to Japanese media, Kaoru Mitoma suffered an ankle injury and had to leave the field in the 83rd minute of the match between Brighton and Crystal Palace in round 18 of the English Premier League last weekend.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad midfielder Takefusa Kubo suffered a knock in the goalless draw with Cadiz. The Japanese star suffered a rib injury after a collision with an opposing player.

In that match, because Sociedad had no more substitutions, Kubo had to play through the pain until the end of the match.

This is really bad news for coach Hajime Moriyasu as both of these players are considered important factors in the Japanese team.

According to plan, the Japanese team will release the official list of players for the 2023 Asian Cup right after the friendly match with the Thai team ends.

Kaoru Mitoma was not included in the Japanese team's list for the friendly match against Thailand because he was not allowed by Brighton Club.

Without the services of Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo, coach Hajime Moriyasu will have a headache finding a replacement.

At the 2023 Asian Cup finals, the Japanese team is the opponent of the Vietnamese team, when both teams are in Group D with Iraq and Indonesia.

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese team will face Japan in the opening match on January 14, 2024 at Al Thumama Stadium.

In the second match, Japan will face Iraq, while Vietnam will play Indonesia at 2:30 a.m. on January 19, 2024 at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. This is considered the "easiest" match for Coach Troussier and his team in this group.

The Vietnamese team will conclude its journey in the 2023 Asian Cup group stage with a "confrontation" with the Iraqi team at 6:30 p.m. on January 24, 2024 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

The 2023 Asian Cup finals will take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, 2024, with the participation of the 24 best teams in Asia.

According to the competition format, the 24 teams participating in the 2023 Asian Cup are divided into 6 groups of 4 teams each. The teams will play a round-robin to select the first, second and 4 third-placed teams with the best results in each group to enter the round of 16.

With Japan and Iraq being rated higher, the most realistic goal for the Vietnamese team is to beat Indonesia, in the hope of becoming one of the four third-placed teams with the best results to qualify for the quarter-finals.

( according to Vietnam+ )

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