Ito, Ueda back in Japan squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers
TOKYO, March 13 (Reuters) - Hiroki Ito and Ayase Ueda were named in the Japan squad for this month's 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on Thursday, recalled by coach Hajime Moriyasu after lengthy absences because of injury.
Japan hold a nine-point lead in Asian qualifying Group C and victories over Bahrain on March 20 and the Saudis five days later in Saitama would assure them of a spot at the World Cup finals for the eighth straight edition.
Defender Ito last month made his return from a metatarsal injury that had sidelined him since he joined Bayern Munich last June, while Feyenoord striker Ueda missed the last round of qualifiers with a leg injury.
Koki Ogawa, who scored twice when Japan beat China 3-1 last November, was not included in the squad, while centre half Koki Machida was omitted because of a foot injury sustained while playing in the Belgian Pro League at the weekend.
Defensive midfielder Hidemasa Morita retained his place in the squad after making his return from injury for Sporting Lisbon at the weekend.
Moriyasu's 25-man squad featured only four Japan-based players with the remainder, including Liverpool's Wataru Endo and Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma, playing their club football in Europe.
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