Japan and Singapore will go up against each other again in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday. The match looks lopsided in terms of world rankings, but the upcoming showdown is getting a lot of attention because of the result of their first encounter.

Japan, who are 102 places higher than Singapore in the FIFA rankings, will try to avenge their disappointing performance against the Lions during their first match, which ended in a scoreless draw. Japanese fans voiced out their displeasure by booing their players while they were leaving the field.

The Japanese are currently in second place in Group E behind Syria, but a win on Thursday will help them retain the top spot. Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic admitted that they are still bothered by the result of their first match against Singapore, but he made sure that it will serve as a strong motivation for them.

"It is still difficult to accept that result against Singapore," Halilhodzic told reporters via Japan Times. "We want to get a result and get top spot back. We will be focused for that game. It is up to us to get revenge."

Since settling for a scoreless draw against Singapore, Japan showed why they are among the favorites to qualify to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. They won in their last three games, where they scored 12 goals without conceding even one goal to their foes.

In their reverse fixture against Singapore, Halilhodzic said that they will go all out to score goals as many as they can, which could help them solidify their grip on the top spot in Group E.

On the other hand, Singapore coach Bernd Stange is expecting to face a determined Japanese side. Stange admitted that he was also surprised by the result of their first match and he is curious to see whether or not their impressive performance in Saitama earlier this year was a fluke.

"We are curious to see if we can repeat the result in Saitama, whether it was a fluke or whether we are that good," Stange said via Channel News Asia. "The game will start at 0-0, so that means we start with one point, and we must defend that point."

Singapore are currently in third place in Group E and a win against Japan will propel them to the top of the group before their highly anticipated match against Syria on Tuesday.

The Japan-Singapore match is scheduled to start at 6:15 a.m. ET. TV broadcast schedule and live streaming details are available on Live Soccer TV.