Japan takes the field with an entirely home-based team against Bahrain for its second 2010 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, but manager Takeshi Okada is confident his side is strong enough to do the business.
Okada called up only one overseas-based player for the match in Manama — Eintracht Frankfurt's Junichi Inamoto — but the midfielder was forced to withdraw with a thigh injury last week.
Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura was left off the squad, with his club in action against Gretna on Sunday and again this weekend at title rival Rangers.