Japan will look to continue its brilliant run at the FIFA World Cup when it faces Luka Modric and his Croatian side in the early fixture tonight. In the later fixture, South Korea will be facing a sterner test when it comes up against the tournament favourite Brazil.
However, if the improbable happens in the two matches tonight we could be in for an all-Asian quarterfinal.
Japan vs Croatia - 8:30 pm IST
The FIFA World Cup 2022 giant killer Japan is on the prowl for another victim. After downing Spain and Germany to remarkably top Group E, the Asian powerhouse has its eye set on Croatia in Monday's Round of 16 match at the Al Janoub Stadium.
Japan has never been to a World Cup quarterfinal but any team that beats the 2010 and 2014 World Cup champions in the group stage deserves to go far in the tournament.
Croatia, meanwhile, had to settle for runner-up in Group F behind surprise package Morocco. Despite a lukewarm group stage, where it scored all its goals so far in one game (4-1 win vs Canada), the Croatian side heads to this last-16 clash on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
The match is at the Al Janoub Stadium, in Al-Wakrah, at 8:30 pm IST.
Brazil vs South Korea - 12:30 am IST
South Korea will aim to pull off yet another World Cup 2022 shock against a Portuguese-speaking side when it takes on the mighty Brazilians at Stadium 974 in the late fixture. The Koreans set up tonight's date against the five-time World champions by pulling off an upset against Portugal (2-1) in the final group game. That win, coupled with Uruguay's failure to score a third goal against Ghana, saw it squeeze past the competition to finish second in Group H and secure a spot in the Round of 16.
In the yellow corner is The Selecao, which unsurprisingly finished top of Group G but only on goal difference. It has been a slow start for Brazil in the tournament, having gone five matches without scoring in the first half of a World Cup game, and its 9-game winning run was halted by Cameroon in the dying seconds of the final group game.
But Brazil will still start favourite, and even more so now after coach Tite confirmed talisman Neymar will most likely take a part in tonight's clash. Also, it has been 32 years since the five-time world champions were knocked out in a Round of 16 game, when they lost suffered a 1-0 loss to Argentina in the 1990 edition.
The match is at Stadium 974, in Doha, at 12:30 am IST.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
