Japan coach Zico has been forced to reshuffle his pack for Thursday's friendly against Germany in Yokohama in the wake of a spate of injuries to first-team defenders.
Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn catches a ball during a practice session at Yokohama International Stadium on Wednesday.
Newly crowned J. League Player of the Year Yuji Nakazawa became the latest player to join the casualty list when he pulled out of the match on Wednesday due to a sore left ankle.
Yokohama F. Marinos teammate Naoki Matsuda has been struck down with a cold, while captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto is suffering with a hamstring problem, leaving Zico little option but to change from 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 system his players have rarely looked comfortable with.