Makoto Hasebe is looking for Japan to win their upcoming friendlies to build momentum heading into the World Cup.
Midfielder wants friendly wins ahead of World Cup campaign
Makoto Hasebe is looking for Japan to win their upcoming friendlies to build momentum heading into the World Cup.
Japan face Cameroon, Holland and Denmark in Group E at the World Cup, with coach Takeshi Okada hoping to reach the semi-finals.
But first up is a friendly game against fierce rivals South Korea on Monday before matches against England and Ivory Coast, who have also qualified for the World Cup.
Wolfsburg midfielder Hasebe is targeting victory in the three games to build momentum, saying: "We don't have the luxury of being able to tweak, tweak, tweak things.
Boost expectations
"We just have to win our warm-up games and boost people's expectations of us."
Hasebe is especially desperate for a good performance against South Korea.
He said: "The players wouldn't call it risky. For us it's a big chance. If we beat Korea it would give us a real confidence boost for the World Cup. We're all up for this game.
"We're not that nervous. It's Japan's best team and Korea's best team so we'll see who's the best."
But Hasebe knows it will be tough in the coming days, with the Japanese squad focusing on defending ahead of the ties.
Step up
"South Korea and the other teams at the World Cup are definitely a step up in level," said Hasebe.
"For the past three days we have been talking about covering and risk management."
While Hasebe is targeting victory in all three games, he also knows Japan must be careful not to peak too early for the finals.
"There's still three weeks before the World Cup. We have to peak at the right time."
