Gamba Osaka defender Akira Kaji will make his first World Cup appearance for Japan on Sunday as coach Zico rings the changes for a must-win clash with Croatia in Nuremberg.

Kaji was ruled out of Japan's opener against Australia after sustaining an ankle injury during a 2-2 draw with Germany in a pre-tournament friendly.

But he has been passed fit to face a Croatia side also looking for their first win of the competition after their loss to Brazil.

"I'm finally getting my chance," said Kaji, 26, who made his debut for the Japan team against Tunisia in October 2004.

"It's my World Cup opener but I don't feel any extra pressure. I'll just play the way I would in any other game."

Kaji will feature at right-back as Zico implements a four-man defence, meaning Yuichi Komano and Keisuke Tsuboi make way from the team which lost 3-1 to the Australians.

While Kaji will join captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Yuji Nakazawa and Alessandro Santos in the back-line, Kashima Antlers playmaker Mitsuo Ogasawara will be drafted into midfield as the Japanese try to prise open the Croatian defence.

"It's frustrating when you're not involved and great when you are involved," said Ogasawara. "But during the game it won't be any different to any other match that I have played in before."

The Croatians, meanwhile, are expecting veteran midfielder Niko Kovac to be fit enough to face the Japanese after recovering from a rib injury sustained in the first half of their loss to Brazil.

The 34-year-old Hertha Berlin man trained with the rest of the squad on Friday and his brother Robert was confident he would be joined by his sibling in the starting line-up.

"My brother has come back to practice so I don't think there's any problem at all," said Robert Kovac.

Robert Kovac is convinced the Croatians are good enough to overcome the Japanese thanks to their physical superiority, which can help put their World Cup campaign back on track before their final game against the Australians.

He said: "We think we can create more chances then we did in the Brazil game because we are much better physically than Japan."