Japan vs Spain Preview

Japan and Spain will square up this Friday at the Khalifa International Stadium with both sides looking for a result that will grant them passage into the next round of the World Cup.

The Samurai Blue had the opportunity to progress to the Round of 16 last time out against Costa Rica but they could not break a stubborn Costa Rica defence, ultimately falling to a narrow 1-0 loss to leave their hopes of reaching the last 16 now hanging in the balance.

After an impressive 2-1 comeback win over Germany in their group stage opener sent shockwaves across the world, Japan came crashing down back to earth last time out as they were beaten 1-0 by Costa Rica.

That defeat was their first-ever defeat to the Central American team in four outings (W3, D1), leaving them sitting in second place in Group E.

They now need a win here to pass into the next round and to emulate their round of 16 appearance in 2018. A defeat would see them automatically eliminated while a draw might be enough if Germany and Costa Rica both draw.

Getting a win against this Spain side won’t be easy as La Roja are already the top-scoring side in the tournament after two rounds of games. But having already beaten European heavyweights Germany in Qatar, they will fancy their chances of putting up a good fight.

Meanwhile, Spain need to just avoid defeat to pass into the next round.

The 2010 World Cup winners followed up their 7-0 win over Costa Rica in their opening game with a 1-1 draw with Germany last time out, leaving them top of the group.

They just need to avoid defeat in this game to guarantee passage to the next round.

La Roja can now smell the group-stage finishing line after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Germany meaning that they now need just a point to progress.

Even a shock defeat to Japan would still give them a decent chance of reaching the knock-outs thanks chiefly to their superior goal difference accumulated in their famous 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica in Round one.

They will however be looking to finish top of their group and will fancy their chances of avoiding defeat here having lost just once in their last 13 games (W9, D3).