Japan, embarked on a crash course here in the wiles of international football, can scarcely complain about the quality of their tutors. Last Sunday, it was Argentina who imparted lesson number one and their tutorial threatens to be no less easy in Nantes today when they oppose Croatia.

Even if their success over Jamaica was streaky in parts, Croatia fit the description of a team which is capable of taking care of itself in any company.

A much-needed boost for Japan came with the news that opposing captain Zvonimir Boban will almost certainly miss the game after straining a calf muscle in training this week. Fitness doubts also surround Croatian defender Dario Simic.

Even so, Japanese coach Takeshi Okada is not brimming with confidence. "Croatia are a very good team, maybe even stronger than Argentina, so the match will be very difficult," he admits.

"I watched Croatia's game against Jamaica and the players are very talented. What was even more surprising was that the team were very organised," he said. "We are not going to try to play for a draw, but I'd say we probably have less than a 50 percent chance of winning."

Hard work and concentration will be the priorities for Japan, who may field the same team as they did against Argentina in Toulouse. Midfield playmaker Hidetoshi Nakata (21) has made no secret of his desire to move to Europe after the finals and another good performance could accelerate a possible move to Espanol.

Probable Teams

Japan: Kawaguchi, Narahashi, Soma, Akita, Nakanishi, Yamaguchi, Nanami, Nakata, Hirano, Jo, Nakayama. Croatia: Ladic, Stimac, Soldo, Bilic, Simic, Jarni; Asanovic, Boban, Prosinecki, Stanic, Suker.