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Japan's 2-1 home defeat by UAE in September was marred by
controversial refereeing decisions as the Samurai Blue appeared
to have been denied an equaliser after the ball looked to have
crossed the line.
"The UAE defeat was a slap in the face for us. It still
frustrates me and we can't wait to put one over on them in
March," Halilhodzic was quoted as saying by Kyodo news on
Thursday.
Japan, who are currently tied on 10 points with Group B leaders
Saudi Arabia after five games, travel to UAE on March 23 before
hosting Thailand five days later.
Japan are then away to Iraq on June 13, at home to Australia on
Aug. 31 before wrapping up qualification away to Saudi Arabia on
Sept. 5.
"We have three away games in the Middle East and there has been
a recent improvement among teams in the region," Halilhodzic
added.
"I expect us to be put under a great deal of pressure. I've
already started making preparations for those matches."
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru)
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