Japanese internationals were in action for their European clubs during the October window, with Daichi Kamada and Keisuke Goto both finding the net. Kamada scored for Crystal Palace in their 3-1 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on October 11. Goto came off the bench for SC Freiburg to score in a 2-1 Bundesliga victory over FC Schalke 04 on the same day.
In Germany, Kaishu Sano started for Mainz 05, while Ritsu Doan featured for Eintracht Frankfurt. Hiroki Ito made a late appearance for Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
Elsewhere in Europe, Junya Ito started for Genk in Belgium, Ayase Ueda featured for Lille in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and Shogo Taniguchi played a full match for St. Truiden. The notable negative was a red card for Yuito Suzuki in Freiburg's win over Schalke.
The Japan national team heads into its next fixture in strong form, unbeaten in its last four matches with three wins and a draw. The Samurai Blue's most recent result was a 2-1 victory over New Zealand on October 5. They will next face Brazil at home on November 14. The performances of these Europe-based players provide positive signs for the national team's depth ahead of the high-profile friendly.
