December 05, 2022, 10:00 AM EST | Al Janoub Stadium
Game Preview
Croatia
8 - 4 - 1
D-W-D-W-W-D
Japan
16 - 1 - 3
W-L-W-D-W-W
December 05, 2022, 10:00 AM EST | Al Janoub Stadium
After shocking the soccer world and finishing atop Group E, Japan will face Croatia in the Round of 16 at Al Janoub Stadium on Monday. Can Japan continue its fairytale run or will the 2018 runners-up spoil their tournament? Find out in our Japan vs Croatia prediction.
Japan opened as the slight favorite at -122 on the moneyline with Croatia getting +105 as the underdog and the total set at 2.25 goals. Although Japan is the favorite on paper, Croatia is the higher-ranked nation and has a recent history of success at the tournament, so you may want to go with the underdog in your Japan vs Croatia prediction.
Japan earned its second upset win of the World Cup on Thursday as they defeated Spain 2-1. Alvaro Morata got the Spaniards on the board in the 11th minute but they failed to increase their lead despite holding 83 percent of possession, which proved costly. The Japanese got goals from Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka in the 48th and 51st minute as they held on for the win.
While the Japanese have certainly been one of the most impressive underdog stories of this World Cup, you’ve got to wonder how sustainable their success will be. They defeated Germany in their group-stage opener despite holding just 26 percent of possession while getting outshot 26-12. Unless they can find a way to get more into the game against Croatia, their fairytale run could end in the Round of 16.
Croatia Draws Belgium To Advance To Round Of 16
Croatia played to its second scoreless draw of the group stage on Wednesday, finishing in a stalemate against Belgium. The two nations combined for just seven shots on target, with Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku missing what should have been a tap-in goal in the 90th minute. The striker failed to convert, though, giving Croatia a crucial point and ending Belgium’s World Cup.
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There may be some worries about Croatia’s attack going into the knockout stage, as they’ve only managed to score in one match so far – a 4-1 win over Canada. Andrej Kramaric was deadly in that match, scoring two goals and coming very close to a hat trick. The forward will likely be called upon again to ignite the Croatian attack vs Japan.
Japan: Keys To Victory
Japan has had a pretty clear game plan so far in this World Cup: soak up the pressure and strike with opportunistic goals on the counter. When it works out, you get massive upsets like we saw in their wins over Germany and Spain. Can Japan survive another onslaught from Croatia? They’ll have to be good – and lucky – in order to advance.
Croatia: Keys To Victory
Croatia is a solid team from top to bottom but they have struggled to finish their chances so far, and that trend could come back to haunt them against an opportunistic Japanese side. Croatia will need to be clinical and ideally score at least a couple goals to take the wind out of Japan’s sails.
World Cup Computer Pick: Croatia -0.5
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