“We have now reached the semi-final, and it’s a match against one of the top nations in Asia,” said Morgan. “They (Japan) have proven their strength in this tournament, but we are also very pleased with our progress and how much we are improving with each match.

“We know Japan well. We were fortunate to have a training camp in Japan, so we are aware that they also know us well. But we are prepared to win and we believe we can win this match.”

Musa Toure, who scored twice against Kyrgyz Republic in the group stage, said the players are raring to go.

“I have a good feeling about this game,” said Toure. “We’ve been really confident in all of these games. It’s not really about how I want to score or how the team plays. I always want to score, of course, but we’re going there to win. 

“We’ll all be giving our best, and it doesn’t matter who scores, but the most important thing is the team winning – that’s all we care about.”

Japan, who opened their campaign with a 3-0 win against Thailand, then had to settle for draws against Syria and Korea Republic, before having to dig deep to edge Islamic Republic of Iran 4-3 on penalties in the quarter-finals.

However, head coach Yuzo Funakoshi is confident a second title awaits with Japan’s only previous triumph coming in 2016.

“I’m very happy. Both the players and the team have changed as we aim to become Asian champions, so I really want to enjoy this journey,” said Funakoshi.

“We have analysed the Australian team. At first, we thought they mainly relied on their physique and technical skills but they actually have a very technical approach in moving the ball toward the goal. They also use various systems, so we need to be very careful in that regard.”

Japan will be without suspended midfielder Ogura Kosei, who netted against Iran but 

Rikuto Kuwahara has assured that his team will step up their game.

“Everyone is highly motivated to go to the World Cup as Asian champions, and we have been working extremely hard to make that a reality. That’s why I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s match,” said the defender.

“They have skilled players, and we saw in the footage that they scored through side attacks and set-piece plays in their previous match. So, we need to be cautious about that.

“At the same time, I believe Japan should stay confident in our own style of play and focus on executing what we need to do."

Venue: Baoan Sports Centre Stadium

Kick-off: Wednesday, 19:30 (UTC+8)