Celtic midfielder, Reo Hatate has been handed his first Japan start in over a year. The 25-year-old lines up against El Salvador in today’s Kirin Cup match at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi. [Japan FA]
Hatate’s last appearance for his country was against Vietnam back in March 2022 in a 1-1 draw where the Celtic star was given 45 minutes to make his mark.
Unfortunately, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda both start on the bench for today’s match but we would hope that at least one of them will see some minutes on the pitch.
Hatate will be delighted. After being snubbed along with Kyogo for the Qatar World Cup, both Celtic players were bitterly disappointed.
67 Hail Hail told yesterday how Hatate has been impressing in the Japanese camp. Brighton star Kaoro Mitoma said he has been ‘inspired’ by Hatate and how he hopes to learn from the Celtic player whilst on international duty.
For Kyogo, although he will be disappointed to start on the bench, he is likely to see some minutes as Japan are playing with Cercle Brugge’s Ayase Ueda starting as the loan striker.
Daizen Maeda has been dropped to the bench as Hajime Moriyasu opts to go with Kaoro Mitoma. Maeda will no doubt be disappointed after his treble-winning season. However, the Brighton winger has been in great form after helping guide his club to
Japan still have another fixture to play. They will look to conclude the Kirin Cup against Peru next Tuesday the 20th of June at the Panasonic Suita Stadium in Osaka where Kyogo and Maeda will be looking to press for a place in the starting line-up. [Japan FA]
Today’s fixture against El Salvador is live on Japanese channel Tver and kicks off at 11am.
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