Japan must contain Bahrain’s counter attack and aim to tear down their left side, with the prospect of Mitoma’s return

After finishing second in the group stage, Japan will take on Bahrain, tricky Middle Eastern opponents, in the round of 16 on 31 January.

Bahrain finished top of Group E, after competing with South Korea, Jordan and Malaysia. Although having lost 1-3 to South Korea in their first game, they defeated both Malaysia and Jordan 1-0 to move onto the knockout round as leaders by a short margin.

The team, led by Argentine Juan Antonio Pizzi, is ranked 86th in FIFA, while Japan are 17th. Nevertheless, no team can’t afford to let its guard down against Bahrain, given the fact that they edged at the top of the Group table ahead of South Korea.

Bahrain, mainly consisting of domestic players, use a 4-2-3-1 formation to organize tight defensive units. They recorded two clean sheets in a row with the strong presence of goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfallah and centre-back Waleed Al Hayam.

However, in the match against South Korea, they conceded three goals, after showing fragilities at their right flank. This means that the key for Japan may be to attack from the left-hand side. Keito Nakamura has mainly been used there in this tournament and is likely to start against Bahrain. There is further good news for Japan (or a positive selection headache for Hajime Moriyasu). Kaoru Mitoma, who has been sidelined with a left ankle injury, has just returned to the full training squad.

Kaoru Mitoma, a great joker and a protagonist in the famous win against Spain in the Qatar World Cup

Mitoma took part in the training session leading up to the Bahrain game and looked sharp. He has expressed his willingness to play and is likely to replace Nakamura during the match. If the game stalls, Mitoma’s ability to break the defence single-handedly will be Japan’s best weapon. The return of the winger, who has made a sensation even in the Premier League, should help Japan reach the summit of Asia.

Bahrain, on the other hand, boast solid defence and potent counter-attacks as their main weapons. Pacy winger Ali Madan and playmaker Kamil Al-Aswad are the attacking talismans, trying to get behind the defensive line to score goals.

The finishing touch could be provided by their number nine, Abdulla Yusuf Helal. The only Bahraini striker playing in Europe (FK Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic) stands 194 cm (6.4 ft) tall and is strong in the air. He showed this ability against Jordan, scoring the winner.

Like against Indonesia, Japan should try to enforce pressing at high, keeping a high back line and playing the game within their opponents’ half. However, if they lose the ball badly, they may be attacked by Bahrain’s counter-attack. The performance of the centre-back duo of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ko Itakura (or Koki Machida, Shogo Taniguchi will be key.

Japan have played Bahrain 10 times in the past, winning eight and losing two, but most of those matches were decided by a single goal. The latest encounter was in March 2010, when Japan prevailed 2-0.

Qatar is Bahrain’s neighbour in the Persian Gulf, approximately 50 minutes away by aeroplane and five hours by car, and a large number of Bahraini supporters are expected to gather at the venue. Japan have to prepare not only for tough opponents but also hostile atmosphere, which might lead them into a similar situation to the Iraq match, where Japan lost their rhythm with an early goal.

It would be crucial for Japan to avoid the early setback, especially in the first 15 minutes, playing bravery and showing confidence.