El Tri and the Blue Samurai square off in Group A as both teams go hunting back-to-back wins and a quarter-final berth
Mexico will look to back up something of a surprise victory over France when they meet hosts Japan on matchday two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic men's tournament in Group A in Saitama.
Watch Japan vs Mexico on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)
El Tri scored a major win against Les Bleus despite their restricted squad, but will know that there is no easy test against the Samurai Blue's young guns, who are also looking to go two from two after edging South Africa on the opening day.
Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream online, team news and more.
TV channel, live stream & how to watch
In the United States (US), this year's Olympics soccer games can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (watch with a 7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
Team news & rosters
| Position | Japan roster |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Osako, Tani, Suzuki |
| Defenders | Sakai*, Nakayama, Itakura, Yoshida*, Hatate, Tomiyasu, Hashioka, Machida, Seko |
| Midfielders | Endo*, Kubo, Miyoshi, Doan, Mitoma, Soma, Tanaka |
| Forwards | Maeda, Ueda, Hayashi |
Having ensured a spot at every Olympic tournament since the shift to the Under-23 format, Hajime Moriyasu's hosts will be hoping to make a good impression on home soil as they hunt a potential medal finish.
The nearest they have come was fourth at London 2012, beaten by South Korea in Cardiff - but with the evergreen Maya Yoshida still at the back, a medal is a possibility.
Predicted Japan starting XI: Tani; Sakai, Yoshida, Itakura, Nakayama; Endo, Tanaka; Doan, Kubo, Soma; Hayashi.
| Position | Mexico roster |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ochoa*, Jurado, Malagon |
| Defenders | Erick Aguirre, Montes, Vasquez, Angulo, Sanchez, Lorona, Mora |
| Midfielders | Romo*, Rodriguez, Esquivel, Cordova, Beltran |
| Forwards | Martin*, Lainez, Vega, Antuna, Eduardo Aguirre, Angulo, Alvarado |
Despite a squad stretched between Olympic and Gold Cup commitments, Jaime Lozano's side still delivered a huge result in their opener against Les Bleus to put themselves firmly into quarter-final contention.
The coach is likely to stick with a side similar to the one that notched up that victory, which would see veteran Guillermo Ochoa - one of three overage picks - keep his spot between the posts while Henry Martin fronts up the attack.
Predicted Mexico starting XI: Ochoa; Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez, Erick Aguirre; Rodriquez, Romo, Cordova; Lainez, Martin, Vega.
Recent results
Last five results
| Japan results | Mexico results |
|---|---|
| Japan 1-0 South Africa (Jul 22) | Mexico 4-1 France (Jul 22) |
| Japan 1-1 Spain (Jul 17) | Mexico 3-2 Australia (Jun 12) |
| Japan 3-1 Honduras (Jul 12) | Mexico 1-1 Saudi Arabia (Jun 8) |
| Japan 4-0 Jamaica (Jun 12) | Mexico 1-0 Romania (Jun 5) |
| Japan 6-0 Ghana (Jun 5) | Honduras 1 (4)-(5) 1 Mexico (Mar 30) |