Kubo returns to training, Itakura a doubt before Brazil clash

Kubo trains with the ball, Brazil in sight

Takefusa Kubo is back. The Japan forward returned to training with the ball on Saturday, raising the chances he will be fit for Monday's round of 16 clash against Brazil (1). It is the news your team needed after a tense wait.

Graham Potter may not have to gamble. The squad had already braced for rotation, with Sano Kaishu speaking openly about the need to recover with only three days between fixtures. Now Kubo could be part of the plan rather than a spectator.

Itakura a doubt after coming off against Sweden

The captain is not in the clear. Ko Itakura was substituted with pain during the Sweden match and remains a question mark for Monday (1). Potter has not confirmed his status.

Losing Itakura would sting. He has anchored the backline through the group stage, and his leadership matters in a knockout match of this magnitude.

Nelsinho Baptista: Brazil are favourites, but Japan will make it hard

A voice that knows both sides is speaking. Nelsinho Baptista, the Brazilian coach with deep experience in Japanese football, sees Brazil as favourites but warned they cannot coast.

"I believe Brazil will get past Japan because they have players of great quality. But they will need to pay a lot of attention. If they do not compete and are not tactically organised, they can find it very difficult" (2).

The quote reads like a compliment wrapped in caution. Japan's discipline is the threat he keeps circling back to.

The road here

Japan reached this point with a 4–0 win over Tunisia and a 2–2 draw with Netherlands. Ayase Ueda made history with a double in that tournament, the first Japanese player to score twice in a World Cup match. Feyenoord teammate Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been following closely.

Sweden stood between your team and top spot. Now Brazil await. Monday decides who keeps walking.