Otto Addo says Japan and Ghana have both developed since last meeting

Ghana head coach Otto Addo says Japan’s remarkable progress since their last meeting with the Black Stars in 2022 highlights the growing strength of Asian football.

The two sides last met three years ago, when Japan defeated Ghana 4–1 in a friendly as part of preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On Friday, they meet again in the Kirin Challenge Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi, with kickoff scheduled for 10:20 a.m. Ghana time (7:20 p.m. local time). The match serves as the first of two international friendlies for the Black Stars, who will also face South Korea four days later.

"With the result of beating Brazil 3-2, you can see how Japanese football has developed. It's still developing, so it's going to be very tough for us," Addo said at his pre-match press conference.

The Ghana coach, however, believes his side has also made significant strides since that defeat.

"But we also have developed. We have a lot of young, hungry players on board. We have a team, I think, on bad days, we can struggle, but on good days, we can beat everyone. We showed at the last World Cup that we were close to beating Portugal and we beat South Korea. I think we have a competitive team and we’re looking forward to making the next step," he added.