Perth, March 6 (NationPress) The Indian women's senior national team is set to clash with formidable Japan in their second Group C encounter of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 at the Perth Rectangular Stadium this Saturday. Currently, India ranks third in the group after suffering a 1-2 defeat against Vietnam, while Japan secured a 2-0 victory over Chinese Taipei.

Historically, Japan, positioned eighth in the FIFA Women's World Rankings, boasts a significant edge over the Blue Tigresses, who are ranked 67th, having won all three previous encounters. The Nadeshiko have netted 19 goals across these matches, with the latest being a staggering 0-7 loss for India during the Olympic qualifiers in 2023.

With two days to recuperate from their match against Vietnam, head coach Amelia Valverde emphasizes the importance of restoring the players to optimal condition for the Japan clash.

She stated, “Certainly, we will adjust to any situations that may arise. Right now, our primary focus is recovery, as we faced a physically demanding match.”

Valverde remains cautious about the threats posed by Japan, who are two-time Asian Cup champions (2014, 2018) and World Cup winners in 2011.

“We recognize that Japan enjoys maintaining possession and plays with remarkable dynamism. They aim to control the game, but we must focus on our own strategy. We aspire to deliver a competitive performance, similar to our last outing,” Valverde remarked. “At various points, flexibility in our tactics may be required.”

“From the very first minute, we will strive to impose our game. The teams in our group are distinctly different from one another,” she added. “We need to concentrate our energy on our own squad. We aim to steer the game in our preferred direction while adapting to their playing style.”

Midfielder Sangita Basfore is determined to rectify the missteps from the Vietnam game and move ahead. “We put forth a tremendous effort against Vietnam, giving it our all on the pitch. Now we have reviewed the game and identified our errors,” Sangita noted. “Our objective is to enhance our performance in the upcoming match against Japan.”

“Japan is an exceptional team. We need to elevate our game, and that’s precisely what we intend to do,” she added.

Japan's head coach Nils Nielsen expressed cautious optimism regarding his team’s prospects against India. “I’m confident we can create opportunities against India. They are a resilient side with tremendous spirit, and although they faced some misfortune in their last match, we believe we can apply pressure. To score, we must fully commit and battle for every ball.”