Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu is hoping the apprentices can upset the masters when they take on “role models” Germany in their World Cup opener on Wednesday. Germany has become a popular destination for Japanese players in recent years, with eight of the current squad playing in the Bundesliga. 

Moriyasu paid tribute to the contribution German football has made to his players’ development but urged them to show their own qualities when the teams meet in Doha. “Germany have won the World Cup and that is our aim too—they are role models for us,” the manager said on Tuesday.