Croatia is the favorite to be win against Japan. They have a good team and this is a favourable fixture for the Croatians. Backing Croatia to win in normal time is the best available option in this fixture.

Japan and Croatia meet at the Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah on Monday in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Croatia had a great finish to the group stage and is one of the few teams yet to taste defeat in this competition. They picked up five points to qualify for the knockouts stage in a very difficult group. Croatia would've met Spain but a fixture against Japan should be easier for the 2018 World Cup finalists.

The path for Japan in this tournament can help them match their performances in the last edition of the FIFA World Cup. Croatia reached the finals where they lost to France but they have been in great form since then. Croatia is currently in the semi finals of the UEFA Nations League and have lost just once this year. Those performances has seen Croatia move to 12th position on the FIFA World rankings.

Croatia has picked up five wins in their last seven games, sharing points on two occasions. Their defense is playing a major role in their unbeaten run and this is very helpful against a team like Japan. Croatia has conceded just once in three games at the world cup, keeping two clean sheets — this is the best defensive record at the World Cup 2022.

Japan grabbed a controversial win over Spain but they would've preferred to finish second and face Morocco. From here it looks like the end of the road for them. Japan has been poor in.the opening halves of their game and this is going to be dangerous against a team that is good in defense.

The Japanese side have been poor defensively. They are yet to keep a clean sheet at the World Cup, conceding three goals in three matches. Croatia has a better goal ratio and defense than Japan and is expected to get a comfortable win in this game.

Both sides haven't met recently in the World Cup with the only meeting being a goalless draw in 2006. Croatia has improved massively over the years and the best option in this game would be an away win in favour of Croatia.

本译文使用有道机器翻译，仅供参考：

克罗地亚队最有希望战胜日本队。他们有一支很好的球队，这对克罗地亚来说是一场有利的比赛。支持克罗地亚在正常时间内获胜是这场比赛中最好的选择。

22日，日本和克罗地亚在瓦克拉的雅努布体育场展开了2022年世界杯16强比赛。

克罗地亚队在小组赛中取得了出色的成绩，是少数几支在小组赛中尝到失败滋味的球队之一。他们在一个非常困难的小组中拿到5分，进入淘汰赛阶段。克罗地亚队可能会遇到西班牙，但2018年世界杯决赛队伍对阵日本应该会更容易。

日本队在本届世界杯上的表现可以帮助他们达到上届世界杯的水平。克罗地亚在决赛中输给了法国，但从那以后他们的状态一直很好。克罗地亚目前正在欧足联国家联赛的半决赛中，今年只输过一次球。这些表现使克罗地亚在国际足联世界排名中上升到第12位。

克罗地亚在过去的7场比赛中取得了5场胜利，并在两场比赛中分享了积分。他们的防守在他们的不败中扮演着重要的角色，这对他们面对日本队非常有帮助。克罗地亚队在世界杯的三场比赛中只丢了一球，保持了两场零封——这是他们在2022年世界杯上的最佳防守记录。

日本队有争议地战胜了西班牙，但他们更希望获得第二名，然后面对摩洛哥。从这里看，他们的路似乎走到了尽头。日本一直很穷。他们比赛的前半段，面对一支防守很好的球队，这是很危险的。

日本队防守很差。他们在世界杯上还没有保持零封，3场比赛丢了3球。克罗地亚的进球率和防守都比日本好，有望在这场比赛中轻松取胜。

两队最近在世界杯上还没有交手过，唯一的交手是2006年的一场零比零的平局。克罗地亚这些年进步很大，最好的选择是在客场赢下克罗地亚。