One of the most interesting games in the World Cup TOP 16 phase is going to happen on Monday between Croatia and Japan. The Croatian team played in the previous final but their start here wasn't the best as they weren't able to beat Morocco (0:0). The next game was very successful because they crushed Canada (4:1) but the group stage was finished with a draw (0:0) against Belgium. Japan shocked the entire world by beating Germany (2:1) and Spain (2:1) but at the same time, they lost to Costa Rica (0:1).

In this game, I'm picking Japan not to lose in the regular time. Japan’s ability to strike quickly in transition when they win the ball off of their opponents makes them a dangerous underdog in this tournament. Getting matchups with Spain and Germany helped them to get out of that group as an underdog. Interesting that Japan was down by a goal in both games and in a few minutes managed not only to get back but also to get the lead.

If we take out Croatia's game against Canada which was very impressive, Croatia as a whole was quite average in the group stage. They finished with an even xG difference with 3.8 xG and 3.8 xGA. The defense was quite fortunate to not concede more - especially in the second half against Belgium. Romelu Lukaku had chance after chance to bury Croatia’s tournament chances and it was the only good half that Belgium played all tournament. Coach Zlatko Dalic admitted his side was lucky. This match should play out somewhat similarly to the Morocco match for Croatia. In that match, Croatia wasn’t able to generate any real space for wide players to beat defenders one-on-one.

Japan could be the biggest surprise of the tournament. I like their chances in this game because they won't need to play as a favorite. They are the underdog and all pressure will be on Croatia. Japan will feel very comfortable and they could easily use the European team's weaknesses. Interesting that three out of four goals for Japan have been scored by a substitute. I wouldn't be surprised if the game will need a penalty shootout so let's enjoy this spectacle!

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世界杯16强赛中最有趣的一场比赛将于周一在克罗地亚队和日本队之间展开。克罗地亚队参加了之前的决赛，但他们在这里的开局并不是最好的，因为他们未能击败摩洛哥(0:0)。接下来的比赛非常成功，因为他们以4:1击败了加拿大，但小组赛以0:0战平比利时结束。日本队以2:1的比分击败了德国和西班牙，震惊了世界，但同时又以0:1的比分输给了哥斯达黎加。

在这个游戏中，我选择日本队在常规时间内不输。日本队在抢到对手的球后，能够在转换中快速出击，这使他们在本届比赛中处于危险的劣势。与西班牙和德国的交手帮助他们从小组中出线。有趣的是，日本队在两场比赛中都落后一球，但在几分钟内不仅扳回了比分，还取得了领先。

如果我们把克罗地亚对加拿大的比赛排除在外，克罗地亚在小组赛的整体表现相当一般。他们以3.8 xG和3.8 xGA的平均xG差异结束。我们的防守很幸运，没有丢更多球——特别是在对阵比利时的下半场。卢卡库有一个又一个的机会葬送了克罗地亚的比赛机会，这是比利时在整个比赛中唯一踢得好的半场。教练Zlatko Dalic承认他的球队是幸运的。这场比赛应该和克罗地亚在摩洛哥的比赛有几分相似。在那场比赛中，克罗地亚队未能为边路球员创造出任何真正的空间来击败防守球员。

日本队可能是本届比赛中最大的惊喜。我看好他们在这场比赛中的胜算，因为他们不需要作为热门球队出战。他们是弱者，所有的压力都将落在克罗地亚身上。日本队会感到非常舒服，他们可以轻易利用欧洲球队的弱点。有趣的是，日本队的4个进球中有3个是替补队员打进的。如果比赛需要点球大战，我不会感到惊讶，所以让我们享受这个奇观吧!