Former Japan international Marcus Tulio Tanaka discussed Japan's knockout stage opponents on a podcast.

Discussing Japan's knockout stage opponents if they finish first in their group: Morocco or France

"If given a choice of three opponents—Brazil, Morocco, or France—I think facing Brazil would actually be the matchup with the best chance of winning."

"If we play against Morocco, it will be very difficult for Japan to score, and we will have to defend passively for a long time; with Japan's current strength, we simply cannot beat France."

"Brazil doesn't play the typical South American football style like Paraguay, and their footwork skills are uninspired."

"If Japan can play maturely in the remaining 45 minutes of the second half, they could at least force extra time or even a penalty shootout. There's a real chance to cause more trouble for Brazil, so from this perspective, this match was indeed a good opportunity to win."

"Looking back now, Japan actually had a chance to win that game."

"It's fine to talk about the goal of winning the championship, but the team must be realistic and move forward steadily."

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