FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022: Japan vs Croatia Match Preview - 05/12/2022

Japan punched their ticket to the last 16 after finishing top of Group E, two points clear of Spain and Germany. Very few people expected that to happen before the tournament kicked off. As for Croatia, they secured their spot in the knockouts by finishing second in Group F – knocking out Belgium in the process. Can they go all the way to the final once again?

Japan kicked off their campaign with a stunning comeback victory over Germany, scoring two second-half goals to win 2-1.

After losing their second game 1-0 to Costa Rica, the Japanese produced another remarkable turnaround – scoring twice in the second half to beat Spain 2-1.

Believe it or not, Japan achieved 26% possession against Germany before seeing just 17% of the ball against Spain. Still, they managed to win on both occasions.

When you look at the bigger picture, Japan have only lost two of their previous nine games in all competitions. Can they avoid defeat on Monday?

Croatia advanced to the knockout phase without defeat after picking up one win and two draws to finish second in Group F.

Following a goalless draw with Morocco, the 2018 runners-up thrashed Canada 4-1 before playing out another goalless draw with Belgium – knocking the Red Devils out of the tournament.

It is worth noting that Croatia have conceded a solitary goal in Qatar, with the midfield trio of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic running the show in the middle of the park.