Japan vs Croatia Prediction | FIFA World Cup 2022 Prediction

Japan and Croatia will battle for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Al Janoub Stadium on Monday.

Japan upset the apple cart by finishing at the summit of Group E ahead of former champions Spain and Germany. The Blue Samurai booked their spot in the last 16 with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Spain in their final group game to progress as group winners.

Alvaro Morata's 11th-minute header put the 2010 world champions ahead and seemingly on course for a routine win. But a resurgent start to the second half saw Hajiye Moriyasu's side score two quickfire goals in the space of three minutes to turn the group on its head.

Ritsu Doan leveled matters three minutes after coming on, while Ao Tanaka put Japan ahead in the 51st minute with a controversial goal that was initially ruled out before the intervention of the VAR.

The win saw them become only the third side in World Cup history to win two games at a single tournament in which they were losing at halftime.

Croatia, for their part, put up a dogged performance to hold a star-studded Belgium side to a goalless draw in their final group game.

The 2018 runners-up were far from convincing during the group stages but did enough to secure second spot in Group F behind surprise group winners Morocco.

Their draw against Belgium was their second of the tournament and ensured they finished the group stage with an unbeaten record, winning one and drawing two of their three games.

The winner of the game will secure progress to the quarterfinals, where either Brazil or South Korea will lie in wait.

Japan vs Croatia Prediction
Croatia were one of the dark horses coming into Qatar but the 2018 runners-up have not set the stage alight. It could be a matter of Zlatko Dalic's side growing into the tournament, with the world's 12th highest-ranked side still possessing numerous world beaters in their ranks.

Japan have been one of the revelations of the tournament, with victories over global heavyweights Spain and Germany highlighting that the Asians are no pushovers. The Blue Samurai have perfected the art of finishing games strongly, having scored all four goals in this tournament after the break.

This trait could come in handy against a Croatian side that have perfected the art of going the distance in tournament knockout games. But history suggests that this could be a low-scoring game.

We are backing both sides to cancel each other out in regulation time, with Croatia to progress thanks to a narrow victory in extra time.

Prediction: Japan 1-1 Croatia (1-2 after extra time)

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