The defending champions have also used this tournament to unleash young talents such as Takumi Minamino and Takefusa Kubo into international stardom and head coach Nozomi Hiroyama has earmarked another prospect to shine in Taif.

“Hiroto Asada is already competing for a place in the senior team at his club. I expect him to perform well in this tournament,” said Hiroyama.

The 17-year-old Asada, who plays for Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, netted six goals in the Qualifiers, including a hat-trick against Nepal.

For 1990 runners-up UAE, it will be about maintaining the same form which saw them finish as group winners in the Qualifiers, having missed the last two editions of the Finals. 

Al-Nasr forward Mayed Adel will be banked upon to breach the Japanese defence, having impressed in the Qualifiers with two goals.

UAE head coach Majed Salem is a firm believer that the country’s strong youth development is beginning to pay dividends.

“We have a generation of players with high technical skills, strong tactical awareness and outstanding mental strength. The efforts to develop football at the grassroots level are starting to pay off, and we are seeing more young talents make an impact at the highest level,” he said.

The 20th edition of the AFC U17 Asian Cup offers eight coveted spots at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and both teams will target this showdown as the ideal fixture to get precious points on the board.

Japan v United Arab Emirates
Venue: King Fahd Sports City Stadium
Kick-off: Friday, 20:15 (UTC+3)