The winners of this evening's Group E clash in Rustenburg will secure a ticket to the last 16, while a draw would put the Asians through at the expense of their European opponents.

Olsen is expecting a close encounter between the sides, who he believes have several similar qualities, but he has no plans to let his team go down meekly.

He said: "We have ambitions and I think that's fair. We also know we are a team that takes one step at a time, so first of all we want to progress to the next stage.

"We know that Japan has its own ambitions. Both teams have fought hard to get to this party - the World Cup is a party - and so when we are here, we must have ambitions, which we certainly do."

"We will fight for each other and we know that this is also one of the big qualities of Japan - no doubt about that.

"Teams that perhaps don't have big individuals can still produce good results.

"Here we have two teams that have good qualities, who are perhaps not amongst the favourites for the World Cup.

"But these are two teams that if they use their full potential, then we can have a fair match against big teams as well."

Olsen, who accepts luck could play a role tonight, will be keeping his fingers crossed over the fitness of key striker Nicklas Bendtner.

The coach confirmed the Arsenal forward is a doubt for the game, while midfielder Daniel Jensen is injured and defender Simon Kjaer suspended.

Takeshi Okada, who has previously set the target of a World Cup semi-final for his team, is not contemplating the possibility of defeat.

He said: "I am not considering if we lose. I am thinking only about winning."

The Blue Samurai coach will send his team out looking for victory tonight, even though a draw would suffice.

He added: "In our meeting (on Wednesday), I did tell the players that we should not think about any draw.

"This means that we have to score. So from the beginning we will start out with the intention of winning."