| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
|
MEXICO
Corona Jimenez, Salcido, Mier, Chavez, Reyes Aquino, Enriquez, Fabian Dos Santos, Peralta |
JAPAN
Gonda Tokunaga, Ogihara, Sakai, Yoshida, Suzuki Otsu, Higashi, Yamaguchi, Kiyotake Nagai |
With no injury or suspension concerns, Mexico are likely to be unchanged from the side that overcame Senegal 4-2 in their quarter-final, with Tottenham’s Giovani dos Santos set to continue leading the line.
Japan looked highly impressive as they demolished Egypt 3-0 in their quarter-final, and will be unlikely to tinker with the 4-5-1 formation that has brought them so much success in the tournament thus far.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
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Mexico first made their debut in the Olympic football tournament in Amsterdam in 1928, losing 7-1 to Spain in the first round.
- The Mexicans have never won an Olympic medal for football in either the men’s or women’s tournaments, with their effort this year being the furthest they have ever reached.
- Only one of their squad plays outside of the Mexican Primera Division – striker Giovani dos Santos moved to Tottenham from Barcelona in 2008 but has made only a handful of appearances for their first-team since.
- These two sides faced each other in the bronze medal match in the 1968 Olympic football tournament, hosted in Mexico City. The Japanese prevailed on that occasion, winning 2-0 at the Azteca.
- These two teams played a warm-up game before this Olympic tournament at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, with the Japanese taking a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Higashi Keigo and Otsu Yuki.
- Japan made their debut in the 1936 Olympic football tournament in Berlin, reaching the quarter-finals before losing 8-0 to Italy, the eventual gold medal winners.
- The Japanese won the 2010 Asian Games football tournament with a similar squad to that of their current Olympic squad, defeating UAE 1-0 in the final thanks to a Yuki Saneto goal.
- Midfielder Takashi Usami (pictured right) has spent the last couple of seasons playing in the Bundesliga, but only joined clubs Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim on loan from J-League side Gamba Osaka.
- Japan’s last appearance in an Olympics quarter-final ended in a penalty shootout defeat to the United States in 2000.