Following their poor showing in a 3-0 loss to Brazil, Japan are in need of a positive result against Italy on Wednesday. A loss will see the Japanese eliminated from Confederations Cup, and a draw will mean they need help on the final day. Thanks to Brazil's win earlier, Italy will progress, along with the Brazilians, if they clinch all three points.
Italy vs. Japan, 2013 Confederations Cup: Lineups
Both Italy and Japan make one change to their teams for their crucial Confederations Cup match.
Both teams have picked similar teams in the same formation with minimal changes. Italy have benched Claudio Marchisio and will start Alberto Aquilani in his place, despite calls from fans for Stephan El Shaarawy. Christian Maggio has also entered the team. Japan's change is an expected one; Ryoichi Maeda enters in place of Hiroshi Kiyotake.
Italy lineup (4-3-2-1): Gianluigi Buffon; Mattia De Sciglio, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Christian Maggio; Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Riccardo Montolivo; Alberto Aquilani, Emanuele Giaccherini; Mario Balotelli.
Japan lineup (4-2-3-1): Eiji Kawashima; Yuto Nagatomo, Yasuyuki Konno, Maya Yoshida, Atsuto Uchida; Makoto Hasebe, Yasuhito Endo; Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Shinji Okazaki; Ryoichi Maeda
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN in the United States.
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