(Football news) Having already defeated Germany and Spain, Japan will now turn their attention to 2018 runners-up Croatia in their Round of 16 clash in the 2022 World Cup. Hajime Moriyasu’s team finished first in Group E above two European heavyweights and are undoubtedly dark horses heading into this tournament while Croatia finished second behind Morocco in Group F. Ao Tanaka scored a memorable winner under controversial circumstances against Spain but the Blue Samurai have also shown vulnerability, especially in their 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica.
The winner of this fixture will face one of South Korea or Brazil in the quarter-final but Japan will be concerned about their possession of the ball, keeping only 32.3% possession in Qatar so far and will rely on effective substitutions if they hope to make it into the next round for the first time in history.
As for Croatia, they have conceded only one goal in the tournament so far but they are also struggling to score. The Chequered Ones are on a nine game unbeaten run in all tournaments but will be wary of Japan’s counter-attacking prowess heading into this fixture. The first time these two teams met 25 years ago, Japan won 4-3 but Croatia defeated the Blue Samurai in the 1998 World Cup before a goalless draw in the 2006 tournament.
In team news, defender Ko Itakura is unavailable due to suspension which means Takehiro Tomiyasu could feature as a replacement. Stuttgart midfielder Wataru Endo and right back Hiroki Sakai are available for selection but Takefusa Kubo has muscular discomfort and is a doubt. As for Croatia, left-back Borna Sosa has had a fever and is doubtful while defender Josip Stanisic will be unavailable due to a muscular problem.
Veteran pair Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren could miss out on a potential quarter-final clash if they pick up a booking in this fixture and win the match. Dalic is expected to go with a 4-3-3 formation and with Andrej Kramaric and Marko Livaja struggling, the likes of Bruno Petkovic, Mislav Orsic, Nikola Vlasic and Mario Pasalic could potentially replace them.
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