Team Melli will meet Japan in a friendly international match in what is considered to be the clash of the titans of Asian football. The teams will play in Azadi on Tuesday 13th October 2015.

Both teams will be looking for a moral win , Japan to prove that they are the best team in Asia, While Iran to confirm their FIFA Ranking as the top team of the continent.

Iran and Japan will have an off day in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers which will be played across Asia this week.  The two rivals had similar difficulties in navigating the qualifiers in their respective groups. Both had disappointing openers with Iran drawing away against lowly Turkmenistan, while Japan could not do much better than a goalless draw at home against Singapore.

However both teams recovered well as Japan registered three straight wins, Iran with two wins then stumbled again against Oman in Muscat in the last round.

Iran is still leading the table on goal difference , but the worrying part for the Iranian fans is the vulnerability of the team to have two different standard  in short span of time. The display against Oman was at best, a one point gained away from home, in an otherwise a forgettable match for the fans.  The team played without spirit, lacked the punch, and the worst attribute could be the tendency to revert to emotional performance when the team is behind.

Technically speaking, Japan is the better team in organization and discipline. Individually, Japan has quite a number of stars playing at the highest level of European football, while there is a lone Iranian player doing his business in the Dutch league.

There is very little weakness in Japan team and at their best they can be formidable. The defense is solid and they have yet to concede a goal in the World Cup qualifiers after 4 matches. Iran’s defense, on the other hand is probably the most vulnerable of all its lines.

In the midfield, Iran has a slight advantage, but as seen in the match against Oman, when Dejagah was easily neutralized, the midfield can be disjointed and in tatters. Combination of Dejagah and Teymourian control the midfield well , but separate them and the team feels under the pressure.

Japan has so many option in the midfield and forward lines with household names like Honda and Kazawa giving the Japanese a powerful offensive capability. Iran could also match the Japanese strength up front with Sardar Azmoun who could inflict the damage especially  if he is properly fed from  the midfield players or from flanks. Azmoun’s aerial prowess will certainly inflict damage and will be testing for Japan’s defenders.

The Bosnian coach Vahid  Halilhodžić  reign with Japan has not been long, however he has not made any substantial changes to a well built and balance team which still has many highly experienced players such as  Hasebe,  Okazaki and Nagatomo in the line up. While the much longer serving Queiroz has boldly made major changes for Team Melli in his selection building a youthful teams that can deliver the goods given the opportunity.

It will be an interesting battle between the two powerhouses of Asian football. Two teams that have lots of respect for each other. Iran and Japan have always played very tightly against each other and the margins of wins have been minimal. Team Melli has yet to fully convince the fans of its quality and form thus it is unlikely that Azadi will fill with capacity despite the respect the Iranian fans have for Japan.