'An illness' – Brighton ace Karou Mitoma provides injury update ahead of Japan v Germany

Brighton and Hove Albion attacker Karou Mitoma will hope to make his World Cup finals debut as Japan prepare to face Germany in Group E tomorrow at the Khalifa International Stadium
Japan forward Kaoru Mitoma missed Brighton's last Premier League match against Aston Villa with an illnessJapan forward Kaoru Mitoma missed Brighton's last Premier League match against Aston Villa with an illness
Japan forward Kaoru Mitoma missed Brighton's last Premier League match against Aston Villa with an illness

Mitoma, 25, had been in electric form for Brighton but has recently struggled with an ankle issue followed by illness.

The skilful attacker missed Albion’s last match before the international break against Aston Villa but hopes to be at peak fitness to take on the four-time World Cup winners Germany.

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Missing the Villa match was a blow for Mitoma and Brighton as he had scored in his previous two matches at Wolves and then at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

“I felt like I had not a good feeling, an illness,” he said to the media at Japan’s training venue in Doha, via the Japan Times. “But now I have a “nice feeling and I am ready to play the first match.”

Mitoma signed for Brighton for £4.5m from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 and then spent a successful stint on loan in Belgium with Union SG. He had a full pre-season with Brighton and has adapted well to Premier League football. His attacking style and eye for a goal has immediately made him one of the most popular players with the Albion fans.

“The Premier League is high intensity and a high level so this helps me a lot, of course,” he added. “After playing in the first 11 (for Brighton) I feel like I have a little bit of confidence. From now I have to play more games and, as I said, it will help me a lot against Germany.”

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Mitoma is looking forward to the challenge of facing the most successful team in World Cup history and says that Japan are working on ways to exploit their weaknesses.

“Germany is the best team in the world but they have a weakness so we have to be ready to play against them,” the Brighton man said. “If we play with togetherness we can win.

“They put many players in the attacking space, they have a weakness against the counterattack, so yeah, we are preparing for this.”