Japan are bracing themselves for a gruelling physical battle when they face Australia in their World Cup opener on Monday. The Asian champions will look to counter Australia’s power with their own tactical nous and speed on the break in a Group F game regarded by both teams as vital to their prospects. The squadsAUSTRALIA: Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer (1), Ante Covic (12), Zeljko Kalac (18) Defenders: Lucas Neill (2), Craig Moore (3), Tony Popovic (6), Scott Chipperfield (14), Beauchamp (16), Mark Milligan (22) Midfielders: Tim Cahill (4), Jason Culina (5), Brett Emerton (7) Josip Skoko (8), Stan Lazaridis (11), Vince Grella (13), Luke Wilkshire (20) Sterjovski (21), Marco Bresciano (23) Forwards: Mark Viduka (9), Harry Kewell (10), John Aloisi (15), Archie Thompson (17), Joshua Kennedy (19). Coach: Guus HiddinkJAPAN: Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (1), Yoichi Doi (12), Kawaguchi (23) Defenders: Teruyuki Moniwa (2), Yuichi Komano (3), Miyamoto (5) Koji Nakata (6), Alessandro Santos (14), Keisuke Tsuboi (19), Akira Kaji (21), Yuji Nakazawa (22) Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (4), Hidetoshi Nakata (7), Ogasawara (8), Nakamura (10), Fukunishi (15), Junichi Inamoto (17), Shinji Ono (18) Forwards: Naohiro Takahara (9), Seiichiro Maki (11), Yanagisawa (13), Masashi Oguro (16), Keiji Tamada (20). Coach: Zico. Alastair Himmer
