IPOH: Japan coach Yoshihiro Anai has picked Malaysian hotshot Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal as the danger man ahead of their clash in the Sultan Azlan Shah (SAS) Cup on Wednesday.
The world No.16 remain unbeaten in the SAS Cup after holding No.15 Pakistan to a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's top-of-the-table clash at the Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium, Ipoh.
The Samurais took the lead through Ken Nagayoshi via a penalty corner in the 33rd minute.
However, Waheed Ashraf Rana equalised for world No. 15 Pakistan in the 59th minute.
Anai feels Azrai, who scored a hat-trick against Pakistan last week, could cause them headaches and end their unbeaten run in Ipoh.
"Defending will be crucial against Malaysia; they have a pace to trouble any team. For me, their No.23 (Azrai) is dangerous; he scored a hat-trick against Pakistan," said the former international in the post-match press conference.
Commenting on the draw against Pakistan, Anai said his men should have scored more goals but were wasteful.
"Pakistan were aggressive, but we kept pressing them," he said.
"We had more chances, but we struggled to convert them. We should have won the match."
In an earlier match, South Korea edged Canada 1-0 courtesy of On Se Yong's goal (13th).