Japan welcome Australia to Osaka for a friendly on Tuesday, though it is a game with little more significance than your average dead rubber. Both of these sides are still looking to find their feet under new managers, and with the AFC Asian Cup coming up in January, they’re running short of time to do so. Expect a game in which both sides give their all to try and win.
Japan vs. Australia live stream: Time, TV schedule, how to watch online and more
Japan take on an inexperienced Australia in a friendly in Osaka on Tuesday.
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Japan manager Javier Aguirre took charge after this summer's World Cup, when Alberto Zaccheroni oversaw a disappointing group stage exit. Since then, the Samurai Blue's results have been patchy, but their 6-0 rout of Honduras on Friday offers hope that they're on the right track. Australia, meanwhile, have been pretty poor of late, with Ange Postecoglou's side eliminated in the Word Cup group stages and having won only once since -- and that was a 3-2 victory scraped over Saudi Arabia.
Key player - Keisuke Honda (Japan)
Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda has started the season impressively at AC Milan, where Filippo Inzaghi has managed to integrate him into an attacking system that allows his game to flourish. He’s a very capable player, and will probably be the most technical player on the pitch when these sides face off on Tuesday. Australia will have to work hard to keep the mobile playmaker quiet.
Key question - Will Postecoglou’s experimenting pay off?
Australia boss Postecoglou has continued his big rebuilding project by selecting another very inexperienced squad. Only five players of the 22 men called up have picked up over 15 caps, and most of them are still developing. So far, his experimenting hasn’t really paid off, with the Socceroos coming into this match on the back of a shock defeat to Qatar. He’ll have to hope they fare rather better this time out.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 7:20 p.m. local, 5:20 a.m. ET
Venue: Yanmar Stadium Nagai, Osaka, Japan
TV: ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Fuji TV One (Japan), Fox Sports 4 Australia, ABC 1 (Australia)
Online: ESPN3, Watch ESPN (U.S.)
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