When it comes to the number of Europeans, Japan is by far the dominant team.


Of the 26 players in Japan's final roster for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, 20 are from European leagues. That's 76.9% of the squad.


There are four players who play in the English Premier League (EPL): winger Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), central midfielder Wataru Endo (Liverpool), and defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal) and Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield Town).


Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad), who plays in Spain's La Liga, was also included.


Takuma Asano (Bochum), Doan Ritz (Freiburg), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart), and Go Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach) play in the German Bundesliga.


Striker Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord) and defender Yukinari Sugawara (Alkmaar), who both play in the Dutch Eredivisie, also made the list.


There are also three players from the French Ligue 1. Junya Ito, Keito Nakamura (Reims) and Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco).


Strikers Daizen Maeda and Leo Hatate, who play for Scottish giants Celtic, have also been given a chance.


Belgian League players Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Gent), Koki Machida (Winnion SG), and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki (Sint-Truiden) also joined the roster.


There are 20 Europeans on board, including Hidemasa Morita of Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.


Only five players play in the Japanese J-League, and only six are from Asia, including Shogo Taniguchi of Qatar's Al Rayyan.


When comparing the numbers for Europe to Korea, the difference is stark. Of the 26 Korean entries, only 12 are European, less than half (46.15%). Instead, there are 11 players from the K League, almost as many as the Europeans. In particular, on the defense line, all seven players except Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) play in the K League. 카지노사이트777 


The difference is quality. South Korea is no match for Japan in terms of quality and weight. World-class striker Son Heung-min (32-Tottenham Hotspur) is at a higher level than any of his Japanese counterparts. Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who scored double-digit goals in the EPL this season, and Lee Kang-in, who plays at a first-team level for French giants Paris Saint-Germain, lead the attack.


No matter how good Kubo or Mitoma are, there's no way they're better than the combination of Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Kang-in. Furthermore, Mitoma is nursing an injury and his availability is uncertain.


South Korea also has Kim Min-jae, who is considered one of the best center backs in the world. The back line of Lee Jae-sung (Mainz 05) and Hwang In-beom (Tsubena Zbezda) is also not too far behind Japan.


South Korea and Japan are strong favorites to win the Asian Cup. Based on the bracket, the two teams are likely to meet in the final.