Daizen Maeda has detailed how he plans to "stop" Denzel Dumfries, ahead of Japan's World Cup opener against the Netherlands this weekend.
The Celtic attacker, who played an instrumental role in his side's domestic double, will kick off his tournament against Ronald Koeman's Dutch side, who boast numerous world-class individuals within their ranks.
Inter Milan's right-back, Dumfries, who looks set to join Real Madrid this summer, will likely match up against Maeda if he is deployed on the left.
Despite his opponent's physical build and blistering sprint speed, Maeda backs himself to keep the ex-PSV man quiet. "I think I can stop him with my speed," he said. [Voetbal International]
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"If I go into the aerial duel in the usual way, I won’t win. So I’ll try out various tactics. I can try to get in front of him or let another player contest the aerial duel, whilst I cut inside."
On his position within the Japanese squad, Maeda continued, "I don’t know whether I’ll play as a wing-back or not; that’s up to [Hajime] Moriyasu.
"However, there are many players who can play as a second striker and have an eye for goal, so I hope I can play in that role."
