Overview
Belgium take on Japan in the knockout stage of the World Cup at the Rostov Arena, aiming to reach the quarter-finals for only the third time in their history after 1986 and 2014. This is the sixth time in their last seven participations, the only exception coming in 1998. Belgium and Japan set up this last 16 clash in differing, but equally odd, circumstances.
The last 10 minutes of Japan’s final group game against Poland were nothing short of farcical. Coach Akira Nishino ordered his side to shut up shop and not give away any bookings in the hope that a 1-0 defeat would be enough to see them qualify. It was, and they became the first team in World Cup history to progress because of fair play, having accrued fewer yellow cards than Senegal. They now face a Belgium side who scored more goals than any other team in the group stage.
Team Current News
Belgium will be looking to carry their tremendous form from the group stage into the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup. The Red Devils were one of three teams to win all of their games, along with Croatia and Uruguay, scoring nine goals in the group stage, more than any other team. Belgium have kept two clean sheets in their last three World Cup matches, as many as they recorded in their previous 11 combined. But they have never kept a clean sheet in their 11 knockout games at the World Cup, losing eight of them (W2, D1).
Since making their World Cup debut in 1998, Japan have alternated between getting knocked out in the group stage (1998, 2006, 2014) and reaching the round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018). They have not scored in regulation time in their two previous knockout games at the World Cup
They have won just two of their nine World Cup games against European opposition. This is only the third time the Blue Samurai have reached the knockout stage of the World Cup, after 2002 and 2010.
Historical match record
Belgium have won only one of their five encounters with Japan (D2, L2), although that came in their last meeting in November 2017 when they won 1-0 thanks to a Romelu Lukaku goal. Their only previous World Cup match was in the group stage of the 2002 tournament and ended 2-2. Belgium and Japan have both faced penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup once before. Japan lost to Paraguay at this stage in 2010, while Belgium beat Spain in the 1986 quarter-finals.
Possible Line-ups
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois; Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Toby Alderweireld; Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Yannick Carrasco, Thomas Meunier; Dries Mertens, Eden Hazard; Romelu Lukaku
Japan: Eiji Kawashima; Hiroki Sakai, Maya Yoshida, Gen Shoji, Yuto Nagatomo; Makoto Hasebe, Gaku Shibasaki; Genki Haraguchi, Shinji Kagawa, Takashi Inui; Yuya Osako
Prediction
Belgium 3-0 Japan