Tunisia have placed their new coach Hervé Renard in an extremely difficult position immediately, as they face Japan in Monterrey — with the North African side badly in need of three points after suffering a heavy defeat in their World Cup opener.
The French coach was given little time to settle into his new role after being hastily called upon to replace Sabri Lamouchi, who was dismissed following Tunisia's opening-match thrashing at the hands of Sweden, 5-1.
Renard must now motivate his players after a shocking defeat to face a opponent he himself acknowledges will be far from straightforward.
"I know this team's level very well. Japan are the best team in Asia," Renard said.
Japan, four-time Asian champions, proved they deserve that billing in their tournament opener, showing tremendous resilience to twice come from behind and claim a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Dallas.
Daichi Kamada's dramatic equaliser in the 88th minute confirmed a never-say-die spirit that could pose a serious threat to the Tunisian defence.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu praised his side's courage and determination to fight back into the match.
"We were behind against a very difficult opponent, but the players united as one team and showed great resilience and tenacity — they fought until the end and never stopped persevering," Moriyasu said.
Nevertheless, Moriyasu hopes to show more than just fighting spirit, making clear his side had been aiming for victory against the Netherlands.
"We were targeting three points, not one. So from that perspective it was of course a little disappointing," he said.
With Sweden leading Group F on 3 points and both Japan and the Netherlands on 1 point each, Tunisia — sitting bottom of the group — know that their clash with Japan could well determine the fate of their tournament campaign.