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Japan v Croatia Prediction (FIFA World Cup) – Japan take on Croatia in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This will be their third meeting in the World Cup, with the last one in 2006 ending in a scoreless draw. Will The Samurai Blue continue their giant-slaying ways in the competition? Or will The Vatreni march on towards a second consecutive appearance in the final? Read on for our predictions.
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Japan v Croatia Prediction – Head to Head
Japan
Statistic
Croatia
1
Won
1
1
Drawn
1
4
Goals Scored
4
Japan and Croatia have evenly split their last three meetings, with each side having a win and a draw. Both have also scored 4 goals against each other across all meetings. Let’s take a look at their group performance.
Japan v Croatia Prediction – Recent Matches
Date
Event
Home
Score
Away
18-Jun-06
FIFA World Cup
JPN
0-0
CRO
20-Jun-98
FIFA World Cup
JPN
0-1
CRO
08-Jun-97
Kirin Japan Cup
JPN
4-3
CRO
Japan v Croatia Prediction – Current Form
Japan
W
L
W
Croatia
D
W
D
Japan upset powerhouses Germany in the opener, before bowing to Costa Rica, and bouncing back against the young sensations of Spain. Croatia, meanwhile, were undefeated in the group stage, albeit winning only against Canada and drawing with Morocco and Belgium. Let’s take a look at their group performance.
Japan v Croatia Prediction – Group Stage Performance
Japan
Statistic
Croatia
1
Position in Group Table
2
2
Won
1
0
Drawn
2
1
Lost
0
1.33
Avg Goals Scored
1.33
1
Avg Goals Conceded
0.33
1
Goal Difference
3
6
Points
5
Japan v Croatia Prediction – Preview
Japan
Japan finished the group stage atop Group D with 6 points. After being stunned by Costa Rica 0-1, The Samurai Blue went on to shock Spain 2-1 at the Khalifa International Stadium. Erstwhile group leaders Spain took the lead on 11 minutes with Alvaro Morata‘s strike. However, the Japanese mounted a swift second half comeback when substitute Ritsu Doan levelled with a strong finish into the top corner. And then, after just 3 minutes, Ao Tanaka‘s bundled the ball home, with the goal confirmed by VAR to be counted amid suspicion the ball went out of play during the buildup. This victory, plus Germany’s 2-0 drubbing of Costa Rica in the concurrent group game, propelled Hajime Moriyasu‘s side into the round of 16 with a matchup against 2018 runners-up Croatia. Could the Asians do the improbable again against The Vatreni?
Croatia
Croatia finished the group stage at second place in Group E. After knocking out Canada from contention in the tournament with a 4-1 thrashing, The Vatreni went low-key this time by eliminating FIFA number 2-ranked Belgium with a 0-0 draw. Neither side could find a breakthrough in the game, with The Red Devils’ Romelu Lukaku notably missing four chances to get his side into the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, Zlatko Dalić‘s side held firm at the back to secure their second draw in the tournament, maintaining an undefeated record and sending talisman Luka Modrić and his teammates to another crack at the Cup. Despite being slight favourites against Japan, can they do just enough to get past The Samurai Blue?
Japan – Bans, Injuries, Suspensions
Player
Information
Anticipated Return
Ko Itakura
Disciplinary
1 Game
Croatia – Bans, Injuries, Suspensions
No players are currently reported injured or suspended.
Japan v Croatia Prediction – Final Thoughts
With Japan and Croatia’s historical stalemate at stake, their round of 16 match will likely yield another close result. The Samurai Blue’s penchant for fast counter-attacks, plus The Vatreni’s stubbornness on defence are on track to produce another thriller. We would not be surprised if 90 minutes pass by with another deadlock, which would prove advantageous to Japan in the long run. With that, we take a look at the prediction.
Japan v Croatia Prediction
We will be betting on the Asian Handicap and Over/Under in Euro football odds for this match:
Japan (+0.5)
Odds (1.82)
Under: 3.25 Goals
Odds: 1.39
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Disclaimer: The odds change from time to time without prior notice and is only available at the time of writing
For this FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 Japan v Croatia Prediction to win, Japan need to at least draw the match in full time. For the Over/Under bet to win, the total goal count should be below 3.25 goals.
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