While not as flashy as Brazil, France, orEngland, the Croatian team has sure made a name for itself over the past couple of years. They’re even the reigning FIFA World Cup runner-up after their impressive performance in Russia.
Croatia got off to a slow start to the group stage with a tie with Moroccobut then bounced back in a big way to beat Canada. Then, they nearly beat Belgium in the final match of the group stage, but a tie was enough to move forward.
Controversies aside, Japan did an outstanding job of clinchinga spot in the Round of 16. They came back to beat Germany, lost to Costa Rica, and then put the cherry on top of the Sundae by knocking down Spain.
Qatar 2022: What If Croatia Beat Japan In The Round of 16?
But, all things considered, even oddsmakers agree that Croatia should be favored ahead of this game. That hasn’t meant a lot to Japan in the past, but the truth is that the European side should win this matchup.
Should that be the case, then Croatia would move forward to the quarterfinals. There, they’d face the winner of the winner between Brazil and South Korea. Japan, on the other hand, would be eliminated from the competition and sent back home.