Japan prepares to face Paraguay in an International Friendly this Friday evening. Despite recent underwhelming performances, Japan, playing at home, will likely aim for a cautious approach and a win. As the leading nation in Asian football, Japan has a challenging schedule planned to prepare for the World Cup. They've already played Mexico and the USA, managing a draw and a loss, with no goals scored. These matches helped them adapt to the World Cup environment, and games against Paraguay and Brazil are equally crucial. The Japanese squad is almost at full strength, including European stars like Takumi Minamino, Daizen Maeda, and Takefusa Kubo, looking to gain momentum for the 2026 World Cup. Considering their squad strength and past results against Paraguay, Japan are in a strong position. Paraguay secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup finals after a win against Peru in the South American qualifiers, boosting their morale. They are using this International Friendly to prepare and test strategies. Though Paraguay is ranked lower than Japan (37th vs 19th), they've shown they can compete with strong teams, beating Argentina and narrowly losing to Brazil. Paraguay will be confident going into this match against Japan.