Japan Gets Ready For Ghana

(Kyodo) _ Japan has called in-form Gamba Osaka striker Ryuji Bando as Japan coach Ivica Osim on Sunday named a 20-man squad for next week's friendly against Ghana in Yokohama.

Bando, who has hit a rich vein of form for league leaders Gamba and scored 14 league goals this term, was one of four players given the chance to win their first caps at Nissan Stadium on Wednesday.

After the Ghana friendly, Asian champions Japan will play India in their penultimate Asian Cup qualifier in Bangalore on Oct. 11

Ghana made their World Cup debut at this summer's finals in Germany and reached the round of 16 before bowing out to Brazil, who ended Japan's hopes of reaching the second round with a 4-1 win in Group F in Dortmund.

The squad:

Goalkeepers - Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Norihiro Yamagishi (Urawa Reds), Shusaku Nishikawa (Oita Trinita)

Defenders - Alessandro Santos (Urawa Reds), Yuichi Komano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Hiroki Mizumoto (JEF United Chiba)

Midfielders - Naotake Hanyu (JEF United Chiba), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Takahiro Futagawa (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Keita Suzuki (Urawa Reds), Yuki Abe (JEF United Chiba), Yuto Sato (JEF United Chiba), Hayuma Tanaka (Yokohama F Marinos), Satoru Yamagishi (JEF United Chiba), Makoto Hasebe (Urawa Reds)

Forwards - Ryuji Bando (Gamba Osaka), Seiichiro Maki (JEF United Chiba), Kazuki Ganaha (Kawasaki Frontale), Hisato Sato (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)