Saudi Arabia head coach Mario da Silva, while expecting improvement from his players, said his team are not fazed by the prospect of facing defending champions Japan.  

"It doesn't matter who we face in the quarter-finals,” said da Silva. “All the teams in the next round are certainly strong and will not be easy. 

“Therefore, we will analyse our mistakes, try to correct them, and remain focused in order to achieve the desired results."

"Of course, after we have secured our qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, our next goal will be to continue competing for the title of this tournament."

Saudi Arabia will count on attackers Abdulhadi Matari, Abdulrahman Sufyani and Sabri Dahal to pry open a Japanese defence that has yet to keep a clean sheet - having conceded five goals in the group stage.

While defeat to Australia didn’t prove costly, there are concerns for head coach Nozomi Hiroyama as he ponders his starting line-up for the match at Okaz Stadium.

Hiroyama used all three goalkeepers - Hiroto Matsuura, Ibuki Ejike and Shuji Muramatsu - in the group stage with the tactician not inclined to have a regular Number 1.

“One reason is that all three goalkeepers are at a similar level, so based on the opponents, the game situation, and other circumstances, we chose the best keeper for each match,” said Hiroyama.

“As a result, all three ended up guarding the goal at different times. Each match so far has had a different character, so for the next game, we’ll choose the goalkeeper based on how we plan to approach the match against Saudi Arabia.”