World Cup underdogs Japan have abruptly changed their opponents for a pre-World Cup training match on Thursday to Zimbabwe from the previously-scheduled Mozambique.

The Japan Football Association made the announcement on Thursday without giving any reason for the switch.

The match was to be played over three 30-minute periods at Outeniqua Park in Japan's base camp of George.

Japan have suffered four straight international defeats in the run-up to the big tournament, losing to fellow qualifiers Ivory Coast 2-0 on Friday in the Swiss city of Sion. They had earlier lost to an under-strength Serbia, South Korea and England.

At the World Cup, Japan will meet Cameroon in Bloemfontein on Monday, followed by other group clashes with the Netherlands and Denmark, in their fourth straight finals since their winless debut at France 1998.

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