EDMONTON (Reuters) - A bullish Japan coach Norio Sasaki believes his players are technically "superior" to England's as he ramped up the pressure ahead of their women's World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
"I don't think the players are overconfident but it seems the coach is overconfident," joked Sasaki, speaking through a translator. "The players as individuals and as a team I hope that they will keep that confidence.
"As far as stamina, both teams face a tough task but even with those conditions I think the Japanese players are superior."
Sasaki's counterpart Mark Sampson, however, said the outcome of the clash at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday would not be purely about Japan's technical ability and would be about much more than skills on the ball.