Blues forward Daizen Maeda is set to add to his international caps with Japan later this morning with three Town youngsters also potentially in action later today.

Japan host Venezuela in their opening game at the Kirin Cup with the match kicking off at 11.25am.

Maeda, 28, will be winning his 32nd cap and will be looking to add to his five international goals.

Later, U21s centre-half Corbin Mthunzi will hoping to be in the Zimbabwe side hosting Congo DR, whose side is likely to include ex-Blues defender Axel Tuanzebe, in their second Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Mthunzi, 19, took his caps tally to four when he came on as a late sub in the Zimbabweans’ 3-2 win in Sierra Leone on Thursday having come from two goals behind, former Blues youngster Tawanda Chirewa, now with Wolves, among the scorers.

Elsewhere, academy scholars Alex Noonan and Chris Atherton could be in action for the Republic of Ireland’s U19s when they face the Faroe Islands in their first game of a training camp in Slovenia.

Keeper Noonan, 18, played the full 90 minutes and midfielder Atherton, 17, came on as a 58th-minute substitute as the side coached by ex-Blues forward Noel Hunt lost 1-0 to England in a friendly at St George’s Park on Friday, Arsenal’s Max Dowman scoring the game’s only goal.

Atherton, who joined Town from Chelsea this summer, was winning his third U19s cap and Noonan, whose switch from Shamrock Rovers was confirmed at the start of the month, was picking up his fourth.

Photo: MATSUO.K/AFLO SPORT via Reuters Connect