Prediction 1
Croatia to Win
13/12 (2.08)
BET HERE >
Odds from
Prediction 2
Under 2.5 Goals
8/13 (1.62)
BET HERE >
Odds from
*All odds are correct at the time of writing but are also subject to change, so double-check them.
The Round of 16 at World Cup in Qatar continues with the match between Japan and Croatia, scheduled for Monday, December 5th. With that in mind, we have prepared a detailed preview of this match for you, followed by some of our best free betting tips.
Japan vs Croatia World Cup 2022 Prediction
Thanks to Lukaku and his misses in the last round, Croatia managed to hold on to a draw against Belgium and finish second in Group F, behind Morocco. Japan surprised everyone again with a win over Spain, which led them to first place in Group E, ahead of Spain and Germany. Today, these two teams will meet in the Round of 16 where the match will be decided either in 90-minutes, extra-time or a penalty shootout.
Croatia to Win
While Japan is a surprising name to see in the last 16, mostly since they came here from a group with Spain and Germany, Croatia was expected to make it here, especially since they are the reigning vice-champions of the world. So, Croatia is clearly the more experienced team and they are simply the better team on paper and, while Japan beat the odds already by beating both Germany and Spain, they also managed to lose to Costa Rica in group stags, so they clearly lack experience. Croatia shouldn't have a tough task here and we expect them to win.
Under 2.5 Total Goals
While Japan has gone over 2.5 total goals in two of their three games in the group, Croatia has gone under 2.5 total goals in two of their three matches at the World Cup so far, and given that this is an elimination game, we can see it going under 2.5 total goals. Both teams will come into the match with extreme caution and with Croatia's defence being at a high level so far, this should be a low-scoring affair.
Latest Statistics and Odds for Japan vs Croatia
Last Five - Japan
05/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Croatia
Japan
1 (3)
1 (1)
L
01/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Spain
Japan
1
2
W
27/11/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Costa Rica
Japan
1
0
L
23/11/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Germany
Japan
1
2
W
17/11/22
International Match International
Canada
Japan
2
1
L
Last Five - Croatia
17/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Morocco
Croatia
1
2
W
13/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Argentina
Croatia
3
0
L
09/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Brazil
Croatia
1 (2)
1 (4)
W
05/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Japan
Croatia
1 (1)
1 (3)
W
01/12/22
World Cup 2022 WC2022
Belgium
Croatia
0
0
D
Let's take a look at the very latest odds ahead of today's last 16 tie between Japan and Croatia.
Japan odds: 16/5 (4.20)
Draw odds: 12/5 (3.40)
Croatia odds: 17/16 (2.06)
As you can see, Croatia head into today's clash as the clear favourites with the bookmakers but as Germany and Spain both know all too well, you should not underestimate this Japan side. Still, based on the average odds, Croatia has a 48.5% win probability, compared to Japan's win probability of just 23.8%. Meanwhile, a draw in this game comes with a probability of 29.4%.
If you fancy a punt on the First Goalscorer in today's game then Andrej Kramaric would be a good bet as the bookmakers have the Croatian striker at odds of 29/5 to score the first goal in today's game, which comes to a probability of 14.7%.
Meanwhile, it doesn't look like the bookies are expecting many goals in this game as you can get odds of just 5/7 on Under 2.5 Goals being scored, which implies a 58.3% probability. On the other hand, the average odds on Over 2.5 Goals currently stand at around 25/19, which is a probability of 43.2%.
If you are looking to place a bet on some of the highest odds for this game, you might want to take a closer look at the correct score betting market. For example, the lowest average odds for this market are on 1-1 draw, which is priced at 29/5 odds. Also, 2-0 to Croatia is close with 31/5 odds.
Previous Meetings
A lot of time has passed since Croatia and Japan met for the last time since their previous meeting was all the way back in 2006, at the World Cup in Germany. The two teams met in group stages and the match ended in a 0-0 draw after a missed penalty by Darijo Srna. However, we can hardly draw any conclusions from this match since it was played so long ago.
Can Croatia repeat their success from Russia 2018?
Japan
In the group with Germany and Spain, not many people saw Japan getting to the next stage. However, Japan managed to do exactly that, beating both of the giants in the process despite trailing at half-time in both matches. However, Japan also managed to lose to Costa Rica in the third game in group stages and it's a question whether they would be here if Spain needed a win or a draw in order to get to the next stage. Still, it's an impressive result for Japan and now they can hope to get even further in Qatar.
When it comes to team news, Japan will be without suspended Ko Itakura after he picked up a couple of yellow cards in group stages. Also, Takefusa Kubo is questionable with muscular discomfort.
Japan Predicted Lineup: Gonda (GK), Tomiyasu, Taniguchi, Yoshida, Ito, Morita, Tanaka, Nagatomo, Doan, Maeda & Kamada
Croatia
The finalists at the last World Cup in Russia were the favorites to get out of Group F and they duly delivered. However, it was far from easy, which was also expected. After drawing with Morocco and beating Canada, Croatia needed at least a draw against Belgium and in a very exciting match, they managed to hold to a scoreless draw. That being said, Belgium was so close to scoring and sending Croatia home, which can be a cause for worry ahead of the last 16.
Meanwhile, Josip Stanisic will miss this match with an injury, while Stuttgart's Borna Sosa battles a fever, so he is questionable for this game.
Croatia Predicted Lineup: Livakovic (GK), Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Barisic, Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric, Kramaric, Livaja & Perisic
Confirmed starting lineups will be added around one hour prior to kick off:
Japan
Croatia
Here it is! 🥁 #Croatia starting lineup for the #FIFAWorldCup Round of 16 encounter with Japan! #JPNCRO #Qatar2022 #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/UZmjykT6aM
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) December 5, 2022
Player to Watch – Luka Modric
At the age of 37, Luka Modric is still pulling the strings for the Croatian national team. He might not have a goal or and assist to his name in Qatar but Modric still dictates the tempo of most games he plays in and is certainly the catalyst for Croatia's performance at the last few major tournaments. The diminutive midfielder is a joy to watch, his close control and passing ability are second to none, even though he is approaching 40. If Modric has another good game today then Croatia are likely to progress into the Semi-Finals.
Modric for Croatia: 158-caps, 23-goals (2006-2022)
Modric is so key to the way Croatia play that The Times released an article earlier today titled Japan vs Croatia: Agents of chaos must disrupt Luka Modric's metronomic tempo. This piece goes on to explain that Japan's chances of success lay upon their ability to disrupt Luka Modric's flow. Japan have been playing a pressing game and that has brought success against some big teams like Germany and Spain but it will be interesting to see if they can fluster the old mistro this afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions for Japan vs Croatia
- Where can I watch the match live? – BBC One
- Where is the game going to be played? – Al-Janoub Stadium, Al-Wakrah
- What is the starting time of the fixture? – 15:00 UK, 16:00 CET
