Tuesday’s early game sees Colombia take on Japan in Saransk, four years after pounding the Asians 4-1 at the 2014 World Cup.
The South Americans have their own injury concern in the form of Brazil top scorer James Rodriguez, with the Bayern Munich midfielder nursing a calf strain. James, 26, netted six goals and created four assists to help Colombia qualify for Russia.
Japan’s build-up to Russia has been tumultuous, after coach Vahid Halilhodzic was sacked in April despite steering the team to the finals.
The Japanese players’ preparations have been disrupted by news of the earthquake in Osaka that killed three people.
Tuesday’s round of fixtures will mean that all 32 teams in the tournament have now played at least once.
Japan’s Princess Takamado visited the Mordovian Erzia Museum of Visual Arts in Saransk, Russia on Tuesday during a trip to watch her national team compete in the soccer World Cup.
Relations between Moscow and Tokyo are currently strained over the roll-out of a US missile system and Moscow’s move this year to deploy warplanes to a group of disputed islands north of Japan. The dispute over the islands, which were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War Two, is so acrimonious that Moscow and Tokyo have not yet signed a peace treaty to mark the end of the war.
Princess Takamado s the first member of Japan’s royal family to visit Russia since 1916, the Kyodo news agency reported.
The princess, the widow of a cousin of Emperor Akihito, has no plans to meet with Russian dignitaries, the news agency said, but will watch the Japanese soccer team take on Colombia and Senegal in the Russian cities of Saransk and Ekaterinburg. – Additional Reporting Reuters.
MATCH DAY PROGRAMME | DAY 6 | #WorldCup
