Japan take on the visitors Croatia in the 1/8-finals match of FIFA World Cup 2022. The match will be played on Monday, December 5th at Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah).
The Japanese national team held the brightest group stage of the World Cup. Victories over Germany and Spain will go down in the history of the "blue samurai". However, their path in this tournament most likely will be interrupted in the 1/8 finals. The captain and great leader of the Croatian national team Luka Modric said not in vain that the main thing for his “checkers” team is to get to the playoffs. And there his team can beat anyone conveniently. The Japanese team received enough attention in this tournament. The excellent behavior of the fans, the excellent work of the coaching staff with substitutions and, of course, the dedication and level of skill of the players themselves. All this makes the "blue samurai" even favorites in the match against Croatia in the eyes of many fans and experts. But Japan is not so clear-cut. Of the last five meetings, the Japanese won only two, those same ones. But they lost to Canada and Costa Rica, and also tied with Ecuador. Against weaker opponents, the Japanese team plays definitely worse.
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The Croatian national team still crawled to the playoffs of the 2022 World Cup. In fact, the Croats played only 1.5 great matches in the tournament. The victory over Canada and Lukaku's misses were enough for the wards of Zlatko Dalic for the 1/8 finals of the World Cup in Qatar. Now a completely different game begins. Relegation matches are the strong point of the Croatian national team. Experience plays a key role in the playoffs. Therefore, Luka Modric comes to the fore. The Real Madrid midfielder was not 100% in top form during the group stage games. But now Modric will turn on at maximum speed. Their time have come, the time of a leader and a hero. It is Luka who should become the executioner for the "blue samurai".
It is important to note that the Croatian national team met Japan in 1998, on the way to their World Cup bronze in France. Then the “checkers” won 1:0, and the magnificent Davor Shuker scored a goal. At the 2006 World Cup, the teams drew 0-0, and Darijo Srna did not score a penalty. The young Luka Modric also played in that match. Bookmakers are cautious in their estimates. However, the Croatian team's victory is estimated at 2.12 against 3.40 for a draw and 3.88 for Japan's success. Croatia, even in this composition, is able to beat anyone in the playoffs of the world championships. Finally, 37-year-old Luka Modric, who played against Japan 16 years ago, should have his say in Qatar. His actions will take Croatia to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Prediction for the match: Croatia to win.
