Japan vs. Croatia Prediction, Odds, and Lineups for the 2022 World Cup
Japan vs. Croatia Prediction, Odds, and Lineups for the 2022 World Cup
Japan vs. Croatia Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: Monday, December 5, 2022
- Start Time: 10:00 am ET
- Where to Watch: Fox Sports
Click here for Japan vs. Croatia odds
Japan finished first in Group E above both Spain and Germany for the first round of the 2022 World Cup. After shocking everyone with an explosive opening campaign, beating Germany 1-0, Japan then lost to Costa Rica but managed to take the 2-1 win against Spain.
As for Croatia, the second-place finishers back in 2018, they finished in second place for Group F behind Morocco. It's important to note that Croatia is yet to lose during the knockout stage through its previous two World Cup knockout rounds.
Croatia starts the knockout stage as huge favorites over Japan, with the best odds coming your way from PointsBet.
| Result | Odds | Implied Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Japan to Win | +300 | 25% |
| Draw | +230 | 30% |
| Croatia to Win | +110 | 48% |
Japan vs. Croatia Odds and Betting Data
Sportsbooks have Croatia highly favored to win this match over Japan, and even the draw has a higher chance than Japan does, according to these sportsbooks of course. With Japan's monstrous wins over Spain and Germany, they shouldn't be counted out that quickly.
Japan has been in the knockout stage three separate times during World Cup runs but never managed to progress further. Will they shock everyone and upset Croatia?
Japan's odds are currently at +300 with a 25% to win on Monday. Croatia, on the other hand, is dominating the odds at a +110 and a 48% chance to win.
As for the betting public, they also seem to think otherwise. They are betting as if Croatia might not earn the W that easily. In the past seven days, only 24% of bets are on Croatia defeating Japan and 67% of bets are backing Japan.
The draw is not receiving the same popularity among bettors, with only 9% of bets having backed a draw.
| Result | % of Bets |
|---|---|
| Japan to Win | 67% |
| Draw | 9% |
| Croatia to Win | 24% |
Claim over $5000 worth of betting promotions for Japan vs. Croatia or any World Cup match here.
Japan vs. Croatia Prediction
Aside from Croatia's one busy match against Canada where they won 4-1, Croatia's total goals have been limited to zero per match, resulting in draws. Luka Modric and Croatia will likely play a close match against Japan. Japan's talented defender Kou Itakura will have to sit this one out after receiving his second yellow card during the game against Spain. Japan's record of goals includes both zero goals and two goals per game, which is why I see the ending resulting in under 1.5 goals.
With the odds at -230, the odds here are just too good to pass up.
Japan vs. Croatia Prediction: Under 1.5 Goals @ (-230) (Bet $100 to collect $143) Get the best odds for this play over at FanDuel
Japan vs. Croatia Projected Lineups
Japan projected lineup:
Shuichi Gonda; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida, Shogo Taniguchi, Yuto Nagatomo; Junya Ito, Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Takefusa Kubo, Daichi Kamada, Takuma Asano
Croatia projected lineup:
Dominik Livakovic; Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic, Marko Livaja
Japan World Cup Odds
Japan stands in fifth to last place in terms of the odds of them winning the World Cup. At +9000, Japan is tied with Switzerland and only above Morocco, Senegal, and South Korea. It's probably better to place your money elsewhere, however, if you are interested in taking a chance, it would be a nice payout of $9,100!
Croatia World Cup Odds
Croatia, on the other hand, is in the top 10 to win the World Cup. Standing at No. 8, Croatia's odds are listed at +4000. While it's also a steep bet, Croatia's odds are looking a lot stronger than Japan's.