It would be unthinkable for Japan to begin its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with anything other than a win at home to Singapore next Tuesday, but manager Vahid Halilhodzic will be looking for more from his team than just three points.

Japan takes on Iraq in a friendly in Yokohama on Thursday before kicking off its bid to reach a sixth straight World Cup against Singapore in Saitama five days later. Halilhodzic has only been in charge for two games since taking over from Javier Aguirre in March, but impressive friendly wins over Tunisia and Uzbekistan have whetted the appetite for more.

After a stop-start 2-0 victory over the North Africans, Japan cut loose with a 5-1 thrashing of the Uzbeks, playing with the kind of zest and fluency that was largely absent from January's dismal Asian Cup campaign. New faces like Takashi Usami and Kengo Kawamata gave the team an injection of fresh blood, while Halilhodzic charmed the public with a bravado touchline performance that suggests the next three years should be an interesting ride.