Japan beat Carlo Ancelottiโs men 3-2 at home in October in a friendly to claim their historic first victory over the South Americans.
Combined with a 1-0 win over England at Wembley, Japan entered the World Cup in North America as a dark horse.
Japan and Brazil will meet in Houston with a place in the last 16 on the line, with Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos striking a confident tone.
The 32-year-old, who was among several defenders missing in the friendly defeat, said they had learned lessons from that night.
โI think it was a really good experience for us,โ he said.
โEverything weโve been through over the last few years has led us to this point, to this moment at the World Cup, and itโs all been a learning experience.
โItโs really a test and our coach really saw what he needed to see.โ
He added: โI think weโve grown a lot since then.
โWe have changed a lot as a lineup.
โWeโve made a lot of changes and over the last few games I think weโve grown as a team too.โ
Marquinhos praised experienced Italian Ancelotti, a serial winner at club level, for his consistency and tactical nous.
Brazil, chasing a record sixth World Cup title, beat Morocco 1-1 in their opening World Cup game before beating Haiti and Scotland 3-0.
They already seem to be growing into the tournament, facing a tough test against Morocco, and Marquinhos said: โThere is always a lot of pride in the national team.
โBut we didnโt get together at first (until the changes our coach made).
โHeโs a smart coach. He really knew how to improve players,โ he added, referring to โsome of the turmoilโ before Ancelottiโs arrival last May.
โIt all came togetherโฆ we know we have quality, we have a great head coach.โ
Ancelotti, 67, one of the modern gameโs best-known managers, was in a typically relaxed mood.
โWe need a lot of things: a strong mind, a strong heart, a clear mind,โ he said.
โI think we have to be prepared for anything that can happen in an elimination match, and a lot can happen in an elimination match.
โI think the team is ready. They are motivated, they are confident.โ
Ancelotti, speaking at his first World Cup as a coach, said there was no clear favorite to win the tournament yet.
But he was impressed with Japan, calling them โone of the best teams in the world.โ
โThere were probably some teams that did better than others in the first group stage,โ he said, with winners Argentina and France particularly impressive.
โBut I donโt think thereโs a clear favorite yet.โ
ยฉ 2026 AFP