"Lionel is physically all set to play," Batista told reporters Thursday on the eve of the match before a sold-out crowd at the 64,000-seat Saitama Stadium in Saitama, north of Tokyo. "I want him to enjoy the game."

But Batista said he was taking nothing for granted, although Argentina have beaten Japan in all of their six previous encounters and stand fifth in the FIFA rankings, 25 places above the hosts.