Japan is no longer the dominant force of Asian soccer it once was and must be prepared to fight bare knuckle at continental level, Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki said on Sunday.
Japan is third in Group B of Asia's World Cup final qualifiers with seven points, three points behind leader Saudi Arabia and one behind second-place Australia.
A win over the Saudis on Tuesday will see Japan go level on points with the Gulf side, but a loss will put Vahid Halilhodzic's men six points out of first place halfway through the qualifying campaign, endangering their chances of advancing to Russia in 2018.