Japan coach Takeshi Okada may have to overhaul his tactics from the group stage to beat a scrappy Paraguay team in order to take the Asian nation to its first World Cup quarter-final.

Japan's three group games were against attack-minded teams, but the match against Paraguay on Tuesday offers a different tactical challenge.

Okada said the South Americans have a "solid back line" and know how to "switch quickly from defence to attack." He also says they have mental strength and technical astuteness.

Japan surprised many observers by beating both Cameroon and Denmark to reach the round of 16, and a narrow 1-0 loss to the Netherlands - which topped Group E - also showed how hard Okada's team is to beat.

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