After beating two former champions, Japan will look to create additional historical past. Croatia’s stars can have different concepts.
Who: Croatia vs Japan
The place: Al Janoub Stadium
When: December 5, 6pm (15:00 GMT)
Japan’s sensational raids on the World Cup have already surprised Germany and Spain, however within the final 16 on Tuesday, they arrive up towards a Croatia facet which may simply be slightly too streetwise for a mugging.
Croatia haven't proven the standard that received them to the ultimate in 2018, however did what they wanted to do to get via their group, solely displaying any indicators of panic of their final match towards a determined Belgium.
Captain Luka Modrić, who with Ivan Perišić and Dejan Lovren varieties a high-class however ageing core to the workforce, says they concern nobody, and they'll have carried out their homework on the Samurai Blue.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu may want to provide one thing new tactically for the conflict at Al Janoub Stadium, having taken the same method to their first three video games.
Inviting groups onto them for 45 minutes then switching to a extra offensive formation and making an attempt to grab targets on the break labored completely towards Spain and Germany, however was a bust in Japan’s loss to lowly Costa Rica.
Croatia, if something, have endurance and can fortunately stroke the ball round in entrance of the Japan defence probing for weaknesses with out, maybe, getting annoyed as Spain and Germany did.
They in all probability even have the technical smarts to make changes themselves when Moriyasu lastly exhibits his hand with the swap to a again three and the introduction of pacy forwards like Kaoru Mitoma and Ritsu Dōan.
Moriyasu has gained reward for his substitutions and tactical modifications in Qatar.
Three of Japan’s 4 targets on the World Cup have been scored by gamers who began on the bench, and substitute Mitoma performed the move that arrange the fourth.
Moriyasu has likened his males to baseball gamers, saying all of them have roles to play together with as “starters, relievers and closers”. The Japanese coach should make not less than one change in his defence after Kou Itakura picked up a second yellow card towards Spain, and harm clouds grasp over his potential replacements Hiroki Sakai and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Croatia, who combined two 0-0 attracts with a 4-1 thrashing of Canada within the group stage, have reached the final 16 twice earlier than out of their 5 earlier visits to the World Cup finals. They gained each these video games, reaching the semi-finals in 1998 and dropping to France within the remaining in Russia 4 years in the past. That’s a high-quality report for a rustic that solely returned to worldwide soccer within the early Nineteen Nineties.
Requested about Croatia’s successful mentality, midfielder Lovro Majer stated it was innate, but additionally right down to older gamers like Modric, 37, providing years of expertise to the workforce.
“We now have a successful mentality in our blood,” stated Majer on Saturday. “I believe now we have a wonderful mixture of skilled gamers who've carried out wonderful issues of their careers and youthful gamers with new power.”
Japan, in contrast, have performed three last-16 matches of their 5 earlier tournaments however misplaced all of them.
But 2022 has already been totally different for them. Japan had by no means earlier than crushed a former champion on the World Cup. This time, they’ve already crushed two. Charged with confidence after these breakthrough wins, Samurai Blue will definitely not stint in effort as they appear to make slightly extra historical past for his or her nation in Qatar.
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