(MENAFN- QNA) Reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Japan have chosen Cessnock as their base to plot the defence of their title in January.
The Samurai Blue, who broke Australian hearts with an extra-time winner in the 2011 final, will prepare in the Hunter Valley ahead of their opening match in Newcastle on January 12, AFC said Monday.
Japan, featuring World Cup star Keisuke Honda, will meet newcomers Palestine in their first match before travelling to Brisbane to play 2007 champions Iraq on January 16 and Melbourne to take on Jordan on January 20.
Honda and fellow European-based guns such as Yuto Nagatomo, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki, will arrive in Cessnock on January 3, training at Cessnock Sports Ground.
This will give them nine days to get ready for the 2015 Asian Cup, the biggest football tournament ever held in Australia.
Javier Aguirre's team, who will play the Socceroos in a significant friendly in Osaka on November 18, are the most prominent side yet to announce their pre-competition plans.
They follow the lead of China, who will set up at Campbelltown in Sydney's west, Bahrain (Ballarat), Jordan (Mulgrave in Melbourne's east), United Arab Emirates (Gold Coast) and Oman and Qatar (both Canberra).
Uzbekistan has also confirmed they will arrive on January 3 and train initially at Rockdale in Sydney's south.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.