Predictions World Cup- Day 16-17

Japan vs Croatia | World Cup

05.12.2022 15:00

Prediction: 0-1

Among the rounds of 16 that perhaps few, if not almost nobody, would have predicted on the eve of the World Cup in Qatar is Japan-Croatia, or the confrontation between the first classification of Group E (ahead of Spain and Germany) and the second from Group F (won by Morocco and with Belgium eliminated). A match that is starting to be almost a classic at the World Cup, given that the two teams already faced each other in 1998 and 2006.

The first three matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar gave us the opportunity to admire a Japanese national team that fully reflects the culture of that country. A team dedicated to sacrifice and hard work, capable of never capitulating in the face of adversity, as they did against both Germany and Spain when they fell behind by one goal before recovering and making the decisive pass. And they didn’t throw themselves down even when they lost perhaps the easiest match, the one against Costa Rica. One might say, “Maximum result with minimum effort”.

Croatia, on the other hand, arrives at this match undefeated but with two 0-0 draws behind them, in that order, against Morocco and then in the last match against Belgium. in the midst of a 4-1 win over Canada. Luka Modric and his teammates aren’t playing beautiful football, but they remain a team with 9 useful results in a row across all competitions, and in the last match they totaled 48% of ball possession with 11 shots, 4 of which were on target.

• The balance of direct clashes is one win and one draw for each team.
• The teams have met twice before at the World Cup: Croatia won 1-0 in 1998 in France and finished 0-0 in 2006 in Germany.
• Croatia are unbeaten in 9 games in a row across all competitions, with 6 wins and 3 draws.
• Japan has conceded exactly 1 goal in each of its first 3 matches at this World Cup.
• In the two years preceding the World Cup, there were two under 2.5.
• Croatia conceded only 1 goal in their first 3 World Cup matches.
• Croatia has only lost one of their last ten World Cup finals matches, the 2018 Grand Final in Russia. 

Brazil vs Korea Republic | World Cup

05.12.2022 19:00

Prediction: 3-1

At Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Brazil faces South Korea in the round of 16. After winning against Serbia and Switzerland without conceding a goal, the Brazilians lost their final and irrelevant group game 1-0 to Cameroon. South Korea owes so much that they took the pass for these Rounds of 16 in the final match, which they won 2-1 against Portugal.

Brazil, which had won its first two group games without conceding a goal—2-0 against Serbia on debut and 1-0 against Switzerland—stunned everyone by losing 1-0 in the final irrelevant match of its own group, which had already won, albeit with a large turnover. It is also true that the match counted for nothing and confirmed the fact that no team finished their group with full points. It must be said that the green and gold also dominated that game with 65% of ball possession and 21 attempts to finish, 7 of which were on goal. The unthinking say that Portugal instead favored the victory of compatriot Paulo Bento as leader of South Korea. The Koreans had gone down by a goal and were first joined by Kim Young-Gwon, and then in the final, they conceded the goal of Hwang Hee-Chan at the end of a match in which Korea had just 39% of ball possession with 13 shots, 6 of which were on target.

• Brazil leads South Korea 6-1 in head-to-head matches.
• Brazil has won the last three meetings by at least two goals.
• Brazil had won the previous nine games before losing the inconsequential game against Cameroon.
• Brazil have scored the first goal of the match in 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions.
• The two teams faced each other in a friendly last June in Seoul, which Brazil won 5-1.
• Brazil took the lead in the first half and went on to win the next three games against South Korea.
• Brazil have scored at least 2 goals in their last 4 games against South Korea.

Morocco vs Spain | World Cup

06.12.2022 15:00

Prediction: 1-2

In the round of 16 of the World Cup, which is being held in Qatar, Morocco and Spain will compete against each other. Now things are going to start becoming more serious. The direct challenges begin, and in this particular scenario, the winner will go to the quarterfinals and take on the loser of the match between Portugal and Switzerland, while the loser will be eliminated and sent home. After opening their campaign with a 7-0 victory against Costa Rica, the Iberians moved up to second position in the group after earning a draw against Germany and then suffering a defeat at the hands of Japan. Morocco is one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup, and it is not so much for its previously well-known abilities as it is for the fact that it won Group F by finishing ahead of Croatia and removing Belgium from the competition.

Following their tie with Modric and the rest of his teammates, the Moroccan team went on to earn victories over Belgium (2-0) and Canada (2-1). Spain is the favorite to win the match that will take place at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan; but, in this World Cup full of upsets, Morocco has a chance to pull off the upset. Morocco is now in a state of grace; thus far in these World Cups, they have won two games and drawn one, continuing a winning streak that reached ten games in a row earlier today (7 wins and three draws). In terms of playing style, Regragui has built a very “European” team. They are well organized, scoring only one passive goal against Canada when the game was already largely over, and they are extraordinary in the counterattack, scoring four goals despite having an average possession of only 36%, which is the lowest figure among teams that reached the round of 16. Within the group of teams that advanced to the round of 16, only Poland and Japan had a lower figure.

On the other hand, Spain is the complete antithesis of this; as is customary, the Iberians dominate the game with 76% of possession; nobody has done better, and with nine goals, they have the best offense of the tournament (counting all three matchdays of the group stage). England and Spain are tied for first place in this category. Luis Enrique possesses a talented team in every position, and before the World Cup, he had won five of his previous six games to get to the final four of the Nations League. In addition, Luis Enrique has a great roster overall.

• All of Spain’s World Cup matches ended with a score of over 1.5.
• The Iberians, with nine goals, have the best attack among the teams left in the running.
• Over 1.5 has been scored in fifteen of Morocco’s last seventeen matches.
• Spain has won five of the last eight times they have appeared on the pitch.
• Morocco has scored four goals in the last two group matches of these World Cups.
• Spain dominated in terms of ball possession in Qatar; to date, the average in the three games played is 76.6%, 10% more than England, second in this special classification.

Portugal vs Switzerland | World Cup

06.12.2022 19:00

Prediction: 1-0

On Tuesday, December 6, the last eight-team final of the World Cup will be played in Qatar, with Portugal challenging Switzerland; whoever wins will play against one of Spain or Morocco. In their first two matches, the Lusitanians won 3-2 against Ghana and 2-0 against Uruguay, although they did have some difficulty towards the conclusion of the first match. As a result, they finished first in their group. In the third match, South Korea was defeated by a score of 2-1; nevertheless, this result was not a big setback because advancement to the following round had already been ensured and first place was not in peril.

On the other side, Switzerland followed a different path, winning their first encounter against Cameroon by a score of 1-0 but then losing their second match against Brazil by the same score. As a result, they were forced to face Serbia in a true play-off on the last day of the tournament. For Switzerland to finish in second place in their group, a draw would have been sufficient; nevertheless, they won by a score of 3-2. The match will be played at the Lusail National Stadium, which will also host the final on December 18. Portugal’s performance in these World Cups is confirming the excellent moment of form of this 2022, which has seen the Lusitanians lose only three games, one of which was irrelevant against South Korea. The rest of the teams won eight and drew one, including the two in the group against Ghana and Uruguay. In the first three games, the Portuguese offense has been good, even though the numbers aren’t great (only 4.7 shots on goal per game, for example), but their defense hasn’t been as good. They’ve given up four goals and made numerous errors in the back line.

The World Cup for Switzerland, on the other hand, was two-sided. In the first two games, the Swiss selection was rock solid with a 1-0 draw against Cameroon, in which they risked little or nothing, and the 0-1 defeat against the very strong Brazil team gained in the final with Casemiro’s goal. The match against Serbia was completely different, with three goals scored, but it must be said that the attitude of the Serbs, forced to win, helped the Swiss forwards a lot. So it’s no surprise that shots on goal average 3.3 per game.

• Switzerland has lost six of its last eleven matches.
• Portugal, on the other hand, is coming off three wins in four games, with the only defeat coming against South Korea.
• In the last four matches, Portugal has won three times.
• The three successes of the Lusitanians were decidedly large and deserved: 2-0, 3-1, and 4-0.
• Portugal have scored 10 goals in their last four games.