Japan 4 Oman 0: Osako at the double in rout

Japan tuned up for their World Cup qualifying showdown with Saudi Arabia with a convincing 4-0 win over Oman in Kashima.

Vahid Halilhodzic's side will welcome the Saudis to Saitama on Tuesday, knowing defeat could seriously hamper their chances of qualifying for Russia 2018 automatically from Group B of the AFC section.

Trailing their Arabian rivals by three points, and second-placed Australia by one, Japan will be on the attack in midweek and their forward line looked in fine fettle against Oman.

Yuya Osako's first-half double put Japan in command, with Hiroshi Kiyotake putting the result beyond doubt after the interval and Yuki Kobayashi capping the performance in second-half stoppage time.

Such dominance will be key for boosting Japanese confidence as they now turn their attention to repeating the feat against Saudi Arabia, who they beat 5-0 in the nations' last meeting, a 2011 Asian Cup group-stage fixture.