Japan coach Takeshi Okada insists he has no feud with his Holland counterpart ahead of Saturday's World Cup Group E meeting against Durban.
Holland coach Bert van Marwijk admitted on Friday he did not recognise Okada the last time they met at the FIFA draw and mistook him for a federation executive.
"I am not close to Van Marwijk," Okada said. "I don't know him well. We have not been rivals in the past and this is not a personal match. I cannot pronounce properly the Dutch coach's surname but by that I don't mean any disrespect."
Okada showered Holland with praise but believes they can be beaten.
"On Saturday we will be playing against a wonderful team, which is one of the favourites for the title," he said. "We are very happy to play this game.
"We realise this is a sophisticated team but we believe we have a chance to win. We shouldn't feel small even though Holland have great name players in the team. We want to address this challenge with the overall power of this team."
Meanwhile, van Marwijk expects a more aggressive Japan than the last time the sides met in a friendly last year.
The Dutch were frustrated by Japan for over an hour before beating them 3-0 back in September.
"This is going to be a tougher fight," said Van Marwijk. "Both teams want to win and both sides won their first match. We cannot compare that game to this one.
"I expect a very aggressive Japan and we are prepared for everything and anything."
Source: PA
