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Japan faces Croatia at Al Janoub Stadium for the round of 16 of the World Cup. Japan can be considered the biggest surprise of Qatar 2022, given that it finished its iron group in first place. The group E classification surprised everyone, with Moriyasu’s team finishing first with 6 points and Spain finishing second with a 2-1 loss to the Japanese in the final match of the group. Germany was sensationally eliminated with 4 points, as was Costa Rica with 3. The Japanese beat Germany and Spain, becoming one of the most formidable outsiders in the knockout stage. Croatia’s victory is a foregone conclusion following their defeat to Mbappé’s France in the 2018 World Championships final in Russia.
Dalic uses technique and experience to maintain the delicate balance of an always compact changing room. Croatia finished second in Group F, trailing Morocco, which scored an incredible 7 points. Belgium, who are paying for fractures in the locker room and Lukaku’s post-injury crisis, were eliminated, as were Canada. Two 0-0 draws against Morocco and Belgium and the 4-1 victory against Canada launch Modric and his companions into the round of 16. Only two precedents exist in the last 25 years between Croatia and Japan, and the Croatians remain in favor of the predictions, but after the exploit in the most complicated group of the competition, it is forbidden to underestimate a Japan that can dream big.
Form Guide
Japan LWLWLW
The goal for Japan will aim to achieve the same result as their 2-1 triumph over Spain.
During that match, Japan held only 18% of the possession and had 6 shots on goal, with 3 of those shots finding the target. Twelve of Spain’s shots were on goal, with five of them finding their mark.
In recent years, it hasn’t been very often that Japan has been able to hold out for the full three-quarters of an hour. It will be a cause for concern for them that Japan has allowed goals in 5 of its previous 6 games, for a total of 6 goals conceded during that span of time.
Croatia WWWDWD
In their most recent match, which took place, Croatia and Belgium played to a scoreless draw.
During that game, Croatia had 48% possession of the ball and 11 shots on goal, with 4 of those shots hitting the target. On the other end of the field, Belgium had 16 shots on goal, with only three of them hitting the target.
The Croatian defense unit has put together a string of solid performances, resulting in the number of goals they’ve given up decreasing to three over the course of their most recent six matches in total. During that span of time, they have scored a total of 10 goals on their own.
Injured and suspended
Japan: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Croatia: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Japan vs Croatia Predicted XI
Japan Predicted XI: Gonda, Tomiyasu, Taniguchi, Yoshida, Ito, Nagatomo, Morita, Tanaka, Doan, Kamada, Maeda.
Croatia Predicted XI: Livakovic, Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Kramaric, Livaja, Perisic.
Prediction
Our intuition tells us that Japan may have a difficult time breaking through the defense of this Croatian team, which is an outfit that we believe should have the advantage.
As a result, we anticipate a tight contest, with Croatia emerging victorious with a score of 0-1 at the match’s conclusion.
Brazil faces South Korea in the round of 16 of the World Cup at Stadium 974. The Brazilians are confirmed as being among the favorites for the final victory, despite the defeat (without consequences) in the last match of the group, while South Korea can be considered one of the great surprises of Qatar 2022, together with Japan and Morocco. Brazil finishes group G in first place with the same points as Switzerland (6), but a better goal difference. Tite’s team won the first two games of the group against Serbia 2-0 and Switzerland 1-0 and already qualified in first place, but everything changed in the last match against Cameroon, losing 1-0 despite the opponents ending the game with a man down for the expulsion of Aboubakar after the goal of the advantage. Neymar has not yet fully recovered from his ankle injury, but he has returned to training with the group and is aiming to return to the round of 16. Tite changed 9 elevenths against Cameroon compared to the previous match, a bit of turnover in view of the second round, good responses from Martinelli in attack.
On the other hand, South Korea finished group H in second place behind Portugal, with the surprise elimination of Uruguay and Ghana. The Koreans drew 0-0 with Uruguay in their first game, lost 3-2 to Ghana, and then beat Portugal (who had already qualified in first place) 2-1 in their third match. It was a great achievement to qualify for the round of 16, but now a sporting miracle will be needed against Brazil.
Form Guide
Brazil WWWWWL
After suffering a 1-0 defeat in their previous World Cup match against Cameroon, Brazil will be hoping for a better outcome in this match.
During that game, Brazil held a possession percentage of 65.05% and had 21 shots on goal, 7 of which were on target. Cameroon, on the other hand, had seven shots on goal, with three of them actually hitting the target.
The most recent results indicate that the Brazil defense is performing exactly as intended according to the game plan. The number of goals that have been scored against Brazil in their past six matches, which adds up to a total of 2, is an indication of how well they have been able to defend their goal.
Korea Republic DWWDLW
In their most recent World Cup 22 contest, Korea Republic defeated Portugal by a score of 2-1, giving them momentum heading into this matchup.
During that match, Korea Republic had 39% possession of the ball and 13 shots on goal, with 6 of those shots hitting the target. On the other hand, Portugal had 13 shots on goal, with six of them landing in the net.
Over the course of their most recent six encounters, Korea Republic has converted their attacks into a total of 8 goals, giving them an average of 1.33 goals per game.
Injured and suspended
Brazil: (Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Alex Telles)
Korea Republic: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Brazil vs Korea Republic Predicted XI
Brazil Predicted XI: Allison, Militao, Marquinhos, Silva, Danilo, Paqueta, Casemiro, Fred, Raphinha, Richarlison, Vinicius.
Korea Republic Predicted XI: Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim, Hwang, Jung, Hwang, Lee, Son, Cho.
Prediction
We believe that Brazil will have a good chance to control the ball throughout this match and will be rewarded with scoring opportunities as a result.
On the other hand, it’s possible that Korea Republic will have trouble scoring a goal of their own, despite the fact that we think it’s possible that they’ll end up scoring here as well.
Our prediction is that Brazil will emerge victorious in this match by a score of 3-1 once everything is said and done.
Morocco faces Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup at the Education City Stadium. Luis Enrique’s formation confirms itself as one of the contenders for the final victory, while Morocco is one of the biggest surprises of the knockout phase, together with South Korea and Japan. Spain finished Group E in second place behind Japan (6 points), with the same 4 points as Germany (eliminated). Not an irresistible group for the Spaniards, who won their first match 7-0 against Costa Rica, drew 1-1 with Germany, and lost their last surprise match 2-1 to Japan. Spain took a big risk by risking elimination after Costa Rica took a brief lead, but they can rely on Morata, who has already scored in 126 minutes.
The impact of the young players is good, but the feeling is that La Roja has not yet shown his real potential. What Morocco did abundantly instead in a group dominated by surprises was close in on first place ahead of Croatia and Belgium before being eliminated. Regragui’s team is still unbeaten after a 0-0 draw against Croatia in their debut, a 2-0 victory over Belgium, and a 2-1 victory over Canada, which gave them the pass for first place in the round of 16. Spain is one of the worst possible opponents in the round of 16, but Morocco flies on the wings of the enthusiasm of an entire country, delirious after a flawless group stage.
Form Guide
Morocco WDWDWW
Morocco, coming off a victory in their most recent match, will be hoping for a repeat performance after beating Canada by a score of 1-2.
During that match, Morocco held 41% of the possession and had 6 shots on goal, with 2 of them finding the back of the net. Their competitors from Canada had five shots on goal, but none of them were on target.
The Moroccan defensive unit has been having a lot of success as of late, as evidenced by their most recent scorelines. Because Morocco has played so defensively, their goalkeeper has only been beaten once in the last six matches they’ve participated in. This brings the team’s overall goal-scoring total to one.
Spain LWWWDL
The Spanish team and their fans who traveled with them will be hoping for a better outcome in this match after suffering a loss in their previous World Cup match, which was played against Japan.
During that match, Spain held 82% of the possession and had 12 shots on goal, with 5 of them finding the net. Japan’s competitors had a total of 6 shots on goal, of which only 3 were on target.
In the previous six matches that Spain has competed in, there have been a total of 20 goals scored, which is indicative of their preference for high-scoring contests that are full of excitement and results in an average of 3.33 goals scored per match. Their rivals have scored six points toward this total.
Injured and suspended
Morocco: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Spain: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Morocco vs Spain Predicted XI
Morocco Predicted XI: Bounou, Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui, Ounahi, Amrabat, Sabiri, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Spain Predicted XI: Simon, Carvajal, Rodri, Laporte, Alba, Gavi, Busquets, Pedri, Torres, Morata, Olmo.
Prediction
When we look at these two teams, we believe that Morocco has a good chance of scoring a goal against Spain, but we also believe that a single goal might not be enough for Morocco to get the outcome that they want.
So, we think it will be a very close game, with Spain winning by a score of 1-2.
Portugal faces Switzerland at Lusail Stadium for the round of 16 of the World Cup. Two wins and one defeat for both teams in the group were enough for first place in the group for Fernando Santos, while Yakin settled for second place behind Brazil. Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0, lost to Brazil with the same result, and finally beat Serbia 3-2 by surprise, at the end of a very tense match, with the Serbs eliminated thanks to the defeat in the last match of the group. Portugal, on the other hand, easily took the top spot in Group H, defeating Ghana 3-2 on their debut and then Uruguay 2-0.
In the third match, there was a drop in tension following the 2-1 defeat against South Korea, which did not compromise the first place in the group. The long-distance duel between Ronaldo and Messi continues: the Argentine has already received a pass for the quarter-finals following his success with goals in the round of 16 against Australia; a response from Cr7 is expected, who will start in the offensive trident alongside Joo Felix and Bernardo Silva and must also chase La Pulce in the scorers’ standings. After a turbulent farewell to United, Cristiano is the only player in the World Cup without a contract, but he will most likely find a new home soon: there is interest from Chelsea, but also a pharaonic offer from Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Yakin will bet on the usual 4-2-3-1 with Embolo ready to challenge the Portugal defense.
Form Guide
Portugal WLWWWL
After losing 2-1 to Korea Republic in their previous World Cup match, Portugal will look to rebound with a stronger performance in this match.
In that game, Portugal held possession for 61% of the time and had 13 shots on goal, with 6 of them finding their mark. The Korea Republic had a total of 13 shots on goal, only 6 of which were on target.
The Portugal squad led by Fernando Santos has celebrated the scoring of a total of 14 goals in their most recent six matches. The total number of goals that have been scored against them in those very same games is currently at 5.
Switzerland WWLWLW
Switzerland’s most recent World Cup play resulted in a victory over Serbia by a score of 2-3, and they will bring that momentum into this game.
During that game, Switzerland held 46% of the possession and had 14 shots on goal, with 7 of them finding the back of the net. On the other side of the field, Serbia had 12 shots on goal, with four of them actually hitting the target.
If we take a look at Switzerland’s recent form, we can see that they have conceded goals in 5 of their previous 6 matches, with their opponents scoring a total of 7 goals. On the defensive, Switzerland has seen its weaknesses become more apparent.
Injured and suspended
Portugal: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Switzerland: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Portugal vs Switzerland Predicted XI
Portugal Predicted XI: Costa, Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Cancelo, Silva, Neves, Carvalho, Fernandes, Felix, Ronaldo.
Switzerland Predicted XI: Kobel, Widmer, Akanji, Schaer, Rodriguez, Freuler, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas, Embolo.
Prediction
We are anticipating that Portugal will field a lineup that will make it difficult for Switzerland to score, and we believe that Portugal will win the match. However, we do believe that Portugal will score at least one goal.
As a result, we anticipate a match that will be very close throughout, with Portugal holding a slender lead of 1-0 when the final whistle blows.