On the 9th, the Japan national team (19th in the FIFA rankings) made final preparations at Osaka's Panasonic Stadium Suita in preparation for their match against the Paraguay national team (37th in the FIFA rankings) (same venue on the 10th).
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Midfielder Takumi Minamino (30) is looking ahead to the big stage nine months from now and has vowed to score points. Neither team scored any points in their September tour to the United States. Looking ahead to the second consecutive match against the South American powerhouse, he expressed a sense of crisis, saying, “I'm a particularly attacking player, so if I can't show the ability to score points against this kind of opponent, I won't be able to do it at the World Cup.''
