Pre-match speech
While U23 Jordan had to try very hard to finish second in Group A and win a ticket to the quarterfinals, U23 Japan easily overcame opponents in Group B with three wins.
However, head coach Omar Najhi is confident that his U23 Jordan players will overcome the challenge against U23 Japan - a team that is aiming for the 3rd title in history in this arena.
He said: "The quarter-final match is very important to us and we will face a strong opponent. We are satisfied with the players and their fighting spirit, this will be very important. They have shown strong bravery by recovering from the defeat against U23 Vietnam to win against U23 Saudi Arabia and U23 Kyrgyzstan.
We have a good balance between young and experienced players, each person has an important role, and the whole team is ready to dedicate themselves. We are one of the youngest squads after U23 Japan, but the players are all strong, energetic and full of motivation.
Najhi added that although U23 Jordan has studied U23 Japan carefully, adaptability and attention to every detail will be decisive factors.
"U23 Japan is a very strong team, as they showed in the group stage, but we are ready to face them.We have analyzed their playing style and understood their style as well as quality.Each team has weaknesses, and small details can make a difference.
Meanwhile, head coach Go Oiwa led U23 Japan to win absolute victory in Group B, scoring 10 goals and not conceding any goals in the victories against U23 UAE, Iraq and Qatar.
He said: "We are very happy to have reached this stage. After analyzing the squad, we have prepared a lot and know what we need to do. We must fight as a team.
All the players are in excellent condition and well prepared. We will choose the squad carefully and ensure that we are fully ready for the match”.
Coach Oiwa said he had warned his players not to underestimate U23 Jordan, emphasizing their collective strength and superior fitness.
"U23 Jordan is a very united team, with many calm, agile and disciplined players, so we must be very careful.This match is extremely important.All of our players are determined to play well.
Statistics
This will be the first time U23 Japan and Jordan meet at the AFC U23 Championship. U23 Japan has reached the quarter-finals of the three most recent tournaments, reaching the semi-finals in the previous two tournaments. With U23 Jordan, they reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020, where they lost to South Korea with a score of 1-2.
U23 Japan's 10 goals in the group stage are the most goals any team has scored in this period, in any previous AFC U23 Championship (a record equal to U23 Saudi Arabia and U23 Uzbekistan in 2024).
Their 23 shots on target were also the most compared to any team in the 2026 tournament, while only Uzbekistan in 2024 (25) had more shots on target in the group stage in the last 4 AFC U23 Championships.
U23 Japan has won and kept a clean sheet in all 5 recent matches at the AFC U23 Championship (as of 2024), this is an achievement equal to the longest series of matches of any team in the tournament (along with Iraq from 2014 to 2016; Uzbekistan in 2024). This is also the first time U23 Japan has not conceded a goal throughout the group stage.
No player has won more duels than Anas Al Khab of Jordan with 30 duels in the group stage. Al Khab achieved a duel win rate of 68.2% (winning 30 out of 44 duels).
The U23 Japan vs U23 Jordan match will take place at 6:30 PM on January 16.
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