Black Stars coach James Kwesi Appiah is envisaging a difficult battle in Wednesday's international friendly clash against Japan at the Nissan Stadium

The four-time Africa champions will square off against the Blue Samurai as part of their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with the Asian giants also preparing for the World Cup in Russia.

Coach Kwesi Appiah, who named a 21 man squad for the game, highlighted the importance of the match and says he's looking forward to a tough game.

"I am grateful for such a wonderful opportunity. It will be our first battle since we played against Egypt last November. The situation is very difficult especially selecting players who just finished their season. However, some players are disappointed that they were unable to make the trip to Japan due to injuries."

"Regarding the international match this time, several players finished the season early and conditioning adjustment was difficult. Not only fitness training, including injured people, we feel that players can demonstrate better performance as long as we can keep the ball. It will be a difficult game this time, but I am looking forward to playing against Japan."

The Black Stars will face Iceland in another friendly.