2022 World Cup Round of 16 Viewer’s Guide to Japan vs Croatia: Monday, December 5 10:00 am (EST)

The 2022-23 UEFA Round of 16 is upon us. PSG plays Bayern Munich on February 14th at 3:00 pm EST. Watch it on Paramount+!

Update: Croatia tied with Japan 1-1, but beat the Samurai Blues in a penalty shootout 3-1. The Blazers proceeded to win against World Cup favorites Brazil in another penalty shootout (4-2) in the Quarter Finals, but were then beat by Argentina in semifinal match.

It’s time for the 2022 World Cup Round of 16! Game 5 airs Monday, December 5th at 10:00 am (EST).

It features Japan against Croatia and will be broadcast on Fox and Telemundo. We have all the details below.

In a hurry? Watch Japan vs Croatia and all the other World Cup match with these services:

World Cup Results: Groups E and F

The Group Stage is over and the top 4 teams move on to the Round of 16. For this match, the winner of Group E takes on the second-place finisher of Group F. Spain will challenge Morocco in another match. Here are the final results of the Group Stage:

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How to Watch Japan vs Croatia

All the Round of 16 matches will be televised live on these channels:

• Fox and FS1 (Fox Sports 1) — English
• Telemundo — Spanish

The Croatia-Japan match (and almost all the others) will air on Fox and Telemundo.

If you have an antenna (And if not, why not? They are one of the cord-cutters most powerful weapons!), Fox and Telemundo are available over-the-air at many locations around the country.

• Monday, December 5 10:00 am (EST): Croatia vs Japan

For many people, however, streaming is just a better option for watching the World Cup. We recommend FuboTV (see our Streaming Guide) for serious soccer fans.

But there are a lot of great streaming services to choose from including Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Vidgo, and YouTube TV. If you are looking for Spanish-language coverage, check out Peacock.

If cost is an issue, Sling TV is the way to go with 40+ channels for just $40.00/mo (viewer’s guide).

After the Round of 16 there are a few more stages:

• Quarter Finals, beginning December 8th
• Semi-Finals, beginning December 13th
• Third Place Playoff on December 17th
• Final on December 18th.

Game Analysis: Croatia vs Japan

On December 5, Japan will take on Croatia in the knockout round of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Japan advanced to this point by winning its group while Croatia advanced by finishing second in its group.

Let’s take a closer look at how the two teams performed during the first phase of the event, the keys to the game for each team and what the two squads are playing for.

How Did Japan and Croatia Get Here?

Japan opened the tournament with a surprising 2-1 victory over world power Germany. After a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, the Japanese team rebounded with a 2-1 victory over Spain.

The victory over Spain is considered to be tainted by some after the final goal was allowed to stand after a video review. On television, it looked as if the ball went out of play before it was directed into the net.

Croatia began the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Morocco and ended the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Belgium. A 4-1 win against Canada in the second match of group play was enough to send them to the next round ahead of Belgium.

The Keys to Victory for Japan vs Croatia

Japanese manager Hajime Moriyasu said after defeating Germany that they prefer to possess the ball as much as possible during games. However, they only had possession for 28% of the game against Germany and 18% of the game against Spain.

Although they executed a better plan against Costa Rica, the Japanese squad will face a tall task against a Croatia team that also likes to keep the ball away from the opponent.

They will rely heavily on players such as Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano to create offense quickly. Doan is one of only five players to score more than a single goal for Japan at the World Cup.

The name may sound familiar to fans of German soccer as he plays for Bundesliga side SC Freiburg.

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Croatia will likely rely on Andrej Kramarić to provide a spark on offense while relying on stout play from goalkeeper Dominik Livaković to keep the game from getting away.

Kramarić scored twice in the victory against Canada and is number four on the all-time scoring list for Croatia at the World Cup.

What’s at Stake for Japan vs Croatia?

The winner of this game will advance to the final eight and a likely date against Brazil.

Although Croatia will likely be favored to win this game, Japan will certainly feel as if they can compete against anyone.

This matchup has the makings of one that will come down to the final minutes of stoppage time or perhaps a round of penalty kicks before a winner is decided.

Wrapping Up

The World Cup is the biggest sporting event everywhere. And the knockout stage is when it really gets going. Every match is “do or die”! So either Japan or Croatia go on to the Quarter Finals. The other team goes home. Don’t miss it!

Our favorite streaming service for Qatar 2022 is FuboTV. But Sling TV is also a great streaming service for an even greater price!

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