Lewandowski v Sane as Poland brace for Senegal test
HIGH-RISK MOVE After Halilhodzic was sacked, the Japanese FA replaced him with former technical director Akira Nishino.
The 63-year-old has plenty of experience in the J-league, but at national level has only ever worked with Japan’s Under-20 and Under-23 teams before.
With Robert Lewandowski-led Poland and Senegal also to come in the group, Japan need a good start.
“If Poland was the first match it would be different. But the fact that Colombia is the first match and Senegal the second — for me, on paper at least they have no chance,” said Troussier. The high-risk move to install Nishino will be tested in Saransk as the Japanese try to improve on the 4-1 drubbing handed to them by Colombia at the 2014 World Cup when Jackson Martinez scored twice.
Colombia marched into the last 16 and the result sent the winless Japan home after finishing bottom of their group, a record they are desperate to improve on despite the last-minute change of head coach.
“Despite that, I think we will cope,” said Japan captain Makoto Hasebe.
“We have three tough opponents. MOSCOW: Robert Lewandowski and Sadio Mane face off in a mouthwatering World Cup shootout between two of European football’s most lethal forwards on Tuesday as Poland take on Senegal.
Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski finished the season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer for the third time with 29 goals, netting 41 times in all competitions.
Mane scored 10 Champions League goals — including one in the final in Kiev — forming a devastating strike force at Liverpool alongside Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino of Brazil.
“I believe Sadio can be one of the stars of the tournament,” said former Senegal player El Hadji Diouf, who played in Japan and South Korea in 2002, the only previous time the country has reached the World Cup.
Poland go into the Group H match at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium as favourites and are expected to emerge from a section also featuring Colombia and Japan.
Ranked eighth in the world, it is Poland’s eighth appearance at the World Cup, with coach Adam Nawalka’s side desperate to improve But they are not (defending champions) Germany, so we have a chance and we hope we can go further.”
Their form in the pre-world Cup friendlies gives Japanese fans hope.
They romped to an impressive 4-2 win last week over Paraguay when midfielder Takashi Inui scored twice, after defeats to Switzerland, Ghana and Ukraine.
Colombia are unbeaten this year after seeing off France 3-2 in March before goalless draws against fellow World Cup contenders Egypt and Australia. on the third-place finishes in 1974 and 1982. Lewandowski admits he has a point to prove after a disappointing Euro 2016, when he scored only once as Poland exited at the quarterfinals stage.
The 29-year-old is finally reproducing his prolific club form at international level, setting a European qualification record with 16 goals in 10 matches to secure Poland’s place in Russia.
Lewandowski said he was entering the tournament in a different frame of mind from 2016.
“I’m sure that training will be better now and that I’ll be fresh and dynamic at the right time,” he said. “I started preparing for the World Cup much earlier.” ‘ADVENTURE’ Poland received a boost in the leadup to the tournament when defender Kamil Glik was cleared to play after an unexpectedly quick recovery from a shoulder injury.
The centre-back is one of the team’s leaders and his job will be to keep Mane quiet while remaining alert to other threats such as Monaco team-mate Keita Balde.
Senegal will hope to emulate the pioneering team of 2002 captained by Aliou Cisse, now the national coach.
Cisse’s men opened that tournament with one of the great World Cup upsets, a 1-0 win over defending champions France, and went on to become one of only three African teams ever to reach the quarterfinals.
Cisse described it as “a great adventure” and wants his charges, ranked 27 in the world, to adopt the same fearless approach in Russia.
“That team already created its bit of history, and now it’s up to this one to create its own,” he told FIFA.COM.
“We’ll have to go there without an insecurity complex, play our natural game and stick to our African identity, which defines our football.”