“We played a friendly against Syria in March last year and drew 2-2,” said Funakoshi. “Their style of play is to focus on the counter-attack, so we have to be very careful.

“I want my side to dominate the game - with and without the ball - but the most important aspect for us is to improve our game in every department.”

Hisatsugu Ishii, Rion Ichihara and Ryunosuke Sato scored against Thailand, showcasing the wealth of attacking options Funakoshi has in his squad.

As for Syria, the 2-1 defeat to Korea Republic on Matchday One means victory is the only option against the 2016 champions with head coach Mohamad Kwid targeting improvements at both ends of the pitch.

“We still have a chance to qualify, as we have matches against Japan and Thailand, so there is still room for compensation,” said Kwid.

“We will review the defensive mistakes from the first game, especially in dealing with set-pieces. We also have to move better. If our attackers had been in their normal position (against Korea Republic), they would have performed better.”

Venue: Longhua Cultural and Sports Centre Stadium (Shenzhen)

Kick-off: Monday, 15:00 (UTC+8)