Japan will travel to face Iran in a friendly at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on October 13, the Japan Football Association confirmed on Thursday.

The clash against Asia’s top-ranked nation will take place five days after Japan face Syria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier at a neutral venue in Oman.

It will be the second visit to Iran in as many months for Vahid Halilhodzic’s men, given they play Afghanistan in Tehran on September 8 in an earlier World Cup qualifying match.

The Samurai Blue were held to a 0-0 draw by Singapore in the first match of their qualifying campaign in June, with the team now looking to make amends against Cambodia next.

They will also be seeking to bounce back quickly from finishing last in the East Asian Cup 2015, where they failed to win any of their games, on Monday.