Steve Foster
Well-known member
Two of the outsiders for the Cup in Ivory Coast v Japan meet at 2am Sunday morning (ouch! - our time Sunday). So who do you think will prevail?
IVORY COAST
Prospects
The Ivorians' golden generation may have a grey-ish tinge but a kind draw (for once) has given them a golden chance of reaching the last 16 for the first time. But while their attacking options are formidable, the back line doesn't inspire confidence. This Ivorian team has flattered to deceive, with their failure to win at least one Africa Cup of Nations mystifying. They must avoid another early exit to shed their "chokers" tag.
Key player
Manchester City powerhouse Yaya Toure scored four times in six qualifiers, a tally bettered only by Lille forward Salomon Kalou.
Yaya Toure and Kalou were the Ivorians' top scorers in qualifying
The boss
The appointment of Sabri Lamouchi in May 2012 was hugely controversial. A France international who played at Euro 1996, he had no previous coaching experience. He dropped Didier Drogba after a disappointing 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but recalled the veteran striker last August.
How they qualified
Along with Nigeria, they were the only African side to end unbeaten. They easily topped their preliminary group ahead of Morocco before winning a play-off against Senegal 4-2 on aggregate. There were some nervy moments when they trailed 1-0 in the second leg in Casablanca, but Salomon Kalou's injury-time equaliser booked their place in Brazil.
World Cup record
They were drawn in the "Group of Death" in their two previous tournaments. On both occasions they ended third, trailing Argentina and the Netherlands in 2006 and Brazil and Portugal in 2010.
Fifa ranking: 23 (joint)
Squad
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Sylvain Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Sayouba Sande (Stabaek).
Defenders: Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Sol Bamba (Trabzonspor), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor), Serge Aurier (Toulouse), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor), Constant Djakpa (Frankfurt), Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse).
Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle), Serey Die (Basel), Max Gradel (Saint Etienne), Diomande Ismael (Saint Etienne), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover), Mathis Bolly (Dusseldorf).
Forwards: Gervinho (Roma), Didier Drogba (Galatasaray), Salomon Kalou (Lille), Wilfried Bony (Swansea), Giovanni Sio (Basel).
JAPAN
Prospects
The Asian champions have the technical ability to out-pass all of their Group C opponents but their Achilles heel remains a lack of striking options, meaning goals usually come from midfield. They will learn from last year's chastening Confederations Cup campaign, when they ran out of steam late in matches, exposing defensive weaknesses. But November's draw in the Netherlands and a win in Belgium have revived hopes that Japan could yet be a surprise package.
Key player
Keisuke Honda, 27, revels in his central, attacking role for the Blue Samurai. But he has looked out of sorts since a January move to AC Milan, where he's been mainly deployed on the right wing. Like Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa, he will hope to leave his poor club form behind in Brazil.
The boss
Alberto Zaccheroni is Japan's sixth foreign head coach. The Italian went unbeaten in his first 16 games, including victory at the 2011 Asia Cup. His honeymoon ended with the Confederations Cup disappointment and poor performances in friendlies but results have improved recently. He led AC Milan to the Serie A title in 1999.
How they qualified
Japan were the first country to qualify for the 2014 finals, doing so in early June 2013. They achieved the most points (17) and top scored (16 goals) in Asia's final qualifying group stage.
World Cup record
Japan made their debut in 1998 and will be appearing at their fifth straight World Cup finals. They have twice reached the last 16, first doing so on home soil in 2002 when beaten by eventual third-placed team Turkey.
Fifa ranking: 46
Squad
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo).
Defenders: Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart).
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Makoto Hasebe (FC Nuremberg), Hiroshi Kiyotake (FC Nuremberg), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F Marinos).
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Osako (TSV Munich 1860), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale
IVORY COAST
Prospects
The Ivorians' golden generation may have a grey-ish tinge but a kind draw (for once) has given them a golden chance of reaching the last 16 for the first time. But while their attacking options are formidable, the back line doesn't inspire confidence. This Ivorian team has flattered to deceive, with their failure to win at least one Africa Cup of Nations mystifying. They must avoid another early exit to shed their "chokers" tag.
Key player
Manchester City powerhouse Yaya Toure scored four times in six qualifiers, a tally bettered only by Lille forward Salomon Kalou.
Yaya Toure and Kalou were the Ivorians' top scorers in qualifying
The boss
The appointment of Sabri Lamouchi in May 2012 was hugely controversial. A France international who played at Euro 1996, he had no previous coaching experience. He dropped Didier Drogba after a disappointing 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but recalled the veteran striker last August.
How they qualified
Along with Nigeria, they were the only African side to end unbeaten. They easily topped their preliminary group ahead of Morocco before winning a play-off against Senegal 4-2 on aggregate. There were some nervy moments when they trailed 1-0 in the second leg in Casablanca, but Salomon Kalou's injury-time equaliser booked their place in Brazil.
World Cup record
They were drawn in the "Group of Death" in their two previous tournaments. On both occasions they ended third, trailing Argentina and the Netherlands in 2006 and Brazil and Portugal in 2010.
Fifa ranking: 23 (joint)
Squad
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Sylvain Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Sayouba Sande (Stabaek).
Defenders: Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Sol Bamba (Trabzonspor), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor), Serge Aurier (Toulouse), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor), Constant Djakpa (Frankfurt), Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse).
Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle), Serey Die (Basel), Max Gradel (Saint Etienne), Diomande Ismael (Saint Etienne), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover), Mathis Bolly (Dusseldorf).
Forwards: Gervinho (Roma), Didier Drogba (Galatasaray), Salomon Kalou (Lille), Wilfried Bony (Swansea), Giovanni Sio (Basel).
JAPAN
Prospects
The Asian champions have the technical ability to out-pass all of their Group C opponents but their Achilles heel remains a lack of striking options, meaning goals usually come from midfield. They will learn from last year's chastening Confederations Cup campaign, when they ran out of steam late in matches, exposing defensive weaknesses. But November's draw in the Netherlands and a win in Belgium have revived hopes that Japan could yet be a surprise package.
Key player
Keisuke Honda, 27, revels in his central, attacking role for the Blue Samurai. But he has looked out of sorts since a January move to AC Milan, where he's been mainly deployed on the right wing. Like Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa, he will hope to leave his poor club form behind in Brazil.
The boss
Alberto Zaccheroni is Japan's sixth foreign head coach. The Italian went unbeaten in his first 16 games, including victory at the 2011 Asia Cup. His honeymoon ended with the Confederations Cup disappointment and poor performances in friendlies but results have improved recently. He led AC Milan to the Serie A title in 1999.
How they qualified
Japan were the first country to qualify for the 2014 finals, doing so in early June 2013. They achieved the most points (17) and top scored (16 goals) in Asia's final qualifying group stage.
World Cup record
Japan made their debut in 1998 and will be appearing at their fifth straight World Cup finals. They have twice reached the last 16, first doing so on home soil in 2002 when beaten by eventual third-placed team Turkey.
Fifa ranking: 46
Squad
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo).
Defenders: Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart).
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Makoto Hasebe (FC Nuremberg), Hiroshi Kiyotake (FC Nuremberg), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F Marinos).
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Osako (TSV Munich 1860), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale
