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Japan vs Croatia Tips - Value on Croatia at the World Cup
- Japan vs Croatia predictions for Monday’s World Cup match
- The Round of 16 game is being played at Al Janoub Stadium (15:00 GMT)
- Croatia have won 6 of their last 8 matches
- Can Japan keep upsetting the odds in Qatar?
- Preview, predictions, stats & tips
Expired
Croatia last met Japan at the 2006 World Cup (Getty)
Japan vs Croatia Preview
Japan beat Germany and Spain in the group stage despite having less than 26% possession in each victory. Croatia have been strong defensively at the World Cup which can make the difference here.
- Japan vs Croatia Preview
- Head to Head
- Japan Form
- Japan Squad
- Croatia Form
- Croatia Squad
- Japan vs Croatia FAQ
- Japan have lost 3 of their last 5 matches (World Cup).
- Japan have never made it past the Round of 16 at the World Cup.
- Croatia have won 6 of their last 8 matches.
- Croatia have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 4 matches.
Head to Head
These teams have met twice in competitive matches, both in the group stage at the World Cup.
Croatia won 1-0 in 1998 before a 0-0 draw in 2006.
Japan Form
Japan opened their World Cup campaign with a 2-1 win against Germany. Down 1-0 at half time, they turned it around with Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano on target.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side then suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Costa Rica despite having 13-4 shots including 3-1 on target.
Samurai Blue overcame the odds to defat Spain 2-1 in their final group game. The conceded in the 12th minute, Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka scoring shortly after half time in a match where they had 18% possession.
Japan Squad
| Pos. | Player | D.O.B. (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| GK | Eiji Kawashima | 20 March 1983 (age 39) | 95 | 0 | Strasbourg |
| GK | Shūichi Gonda | 3 March 1989 (age 33) | 37 | 0 | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| GK | Daniel Schmidt | 3 February 1992 (age 30) | 11 | 0 | Sint-Truiden |
| DF | Miki Yamane | 22 December 1993 (age 28) | 16 | 2 | Kawasaki Frontale |
| DF | Shogo Taniguchi | 15 July 1991 (age 31) | 15 | 0 | Kawasaki Frontale |
| DF | Ko Itakura | 27 January 1997 (age 25) | 16 | 1 | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| DF | Yuto Nagatomo | 12 September 1986 (age 36) | 141 | 4 | FC Tokyo |
| DF | Takehiro Tomiyasu | 5 November 1998 (age 24) | 31 | 1 | Arsenal |
| DF | Hiroki Sakai | 12 April 1990 (age 32) | 73 | 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| DF | Maya Yoshida (captain) | 24 August 1988 (age 34) | 125 | 12 | Schalke 04 |
| DF | Hiroki Ito | 12 May 1999 (age 23) | 7 | 0 | VfB Stuttgart |
| MF | Wataru Endo | 9 February 1993 (age 29) | 46 | 2 | VfB Stuttgart |
| MF | Gaku Shibasaki | 28 May 1992 (age 30) | 60 | 3 | Leganés |
| MF | Ritsu Dōan | 16 June 1998 (age 24) | 32 | 5 | SC Freiburg |
| MF | Kaoru Mitoma | 20 May 1997 (age 25) | 12 | 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| MF | Takumi Minamino | 16 January 1995 (age 27) | 46 | 17 | Monaco |
| MF | Takefusa Kubo | 4 June 2001 (age 21) | 22 | 1 | Real Sociedad |
| MF | Hidemasa Morita | 10 May 1995 (age 27) | 18 | 2 | Sporting CP |
| MF | Junya Ito | 9 March 1993 (age 29) | 41 | 9 | Reims |
| MF | Daichi Kamada | 5 August 1996 (age 26) | 25 | 6 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| MF | Ao Tanaka | 10 September 1998 (age 24) | 17 | 2 | Fortuna Düsseldorf |
| MF | Yuki Soma | 25 February 1997 (age 25) | 9 | 4 | Nagoya Grampus |
| FW | Takuma Asano | 10 November 1994 (age 28) | 40 | 8 | VfL Bochum |
| FW | Shuto Machino | 30 September 1999 (age 23) | 4 | 3 | Shonan Bellmare |
| FW | Ayase Ueda | 28 August 1998 (age 24) | 12 | 0 | Cercle Brugge |
| FW | Daizen Maeda | 20 October 1997 (age 25) | 10 | 1 | Celtic |
Defender Yuta Nakayama and forward Yuya Osako were not called up due to injury.
Centre back Ko Itakura is suspended which should see Takehiro Tomiyasu get the start.
Takumi Minamino has scored 17 goals in 46 internationals.
Croatia Form
Croatia are undefeated in 21 of their last 22 matches. They topped Group H in the World Cup qualifiers, winning seven of their 10 matches with one defeat.
Zlatko Dalic’s side started their World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Morocco despite having 65% possession.
The Blazers bounced back with a 4-1 win against Canada after falling behind early, Andrej Kramaric scoring two goals alongside strikes to Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer.
Croatia ended the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Belgium. They had 4-3 shots on target and held on under late pressure.
Croatia Squad
| Pos. | Player | D.O.B. (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Dominik Livaković | 9 January 1995 (age 27) | 37 | 0 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| GK | Ivo Grbić | 18 January 1996 (age 26) | 2 | 0 | Atlético Madrid |
| GK | Ivica Ivušić | 1 February 1995 (age 27) | 5 | 0 | Osijek |
| DF | Josip Stanišić | 2 April 2000 (age 22) | 7 | 0 | Bayern Munich |
| DF | Borna Barišić | 10 November 1992 (age 30) | 28 | 1 | Rangers |
| DF | Martin Erlić | 24 January 1998 (age 24) | 4 | 0 | Sassuolo |
| DF | Dejan Lovren | 5 July 1989 (age 33) | 75 | 5 | Zenit Saint Petersburg |
| DF | Borna Sosa | 21 January 1998 (age 24) | 11 | 1 | VfB Stuttgart |
| DF | Joško Gvardiol | 23 January 2002 (age 20) | 15 | 1 | RB Leipzig |
| DF | Domagoj Vida (vice-captain) | 29 April 1989 (age 33) | 100 | 4 | AEK Athens |
| DF | Josip Juranović | 16 August 1995 (age 27) | 24 | 0 | Celtic |
| DF | Josip Šutalo | 28 February 2000 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| MF | Lovro Majer | 17 January 1998 (age 24) | 14 | 4 | Rennes |
| MF | Mateo Kovačić | 6 May 1994 (age 28) | 87 | 3 | Chelsea |
| MF | Luka Modrić (captain) | 9 September 1985 (age 37) | 158 | 23 | Real Madrid |
| MF | Marcelo Brozović | 16 November 1992 (age 30) | 80 | 7 | Internazionale |
| MF | Nikola Vlašić | 4 October 1997 (age 25) | 44 | 7 | Torino |
| MF | Mario Pašalić | 9 February 1995 (age 27) | 46 | 7 | Atalanta |
| MF | Luka Sučić | 8 September 2002 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Salzburg |
| MF | Kristijan Jakić | 14 May 1997 (age 25) | 4 | 0 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| FW | Ivan Perišić | 2 February 1989 (age 33) | 119 | 32 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| FW | Andrej Kramarić | 19 June 1991 (age 31) | 77 | 22 | 1899 Hoffenheim |
| FW | Marko Livaja | 26 August 1993 (age 29) | 17 | 4 | Hajduk Split |
| FW | Bruno Petković | 16 September 1994 (age 28) | 25 | 6 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| FW | Ante Budimir | 22 July 1991 (age 31) | 15 | 1 | Osasuna |
| FW | Mislav Oršić | 29 December 1992 (age 29) | 23 | 1 | Dinamo Zagreb |
Croatia have no injury concerns or suspensions.
Andrej Kramarić has scored 22 goals in 77 internationals.
Japan vs Croatia FAQ
Where can I watch the Japan vs Croatia live stream?
Check our live streaming calendar to see where to watch the Japan vs Croatia live stream.
Verdict
Japan surprised many in the group stage where they beat Germany and Spain. Their luck is set to run out against a Croatia side that have been defensively solid at the World Cup.
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