Spain topped their group but they were held by Uzbekistan in their final group game. Japan’s group was more difficult to navigate as they picked up two wins and a defeat to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Spain are expected to dominate the game but Japan will hope they can spring a surprise in the knockout stage of the competition.
Spain team news
Spain showed their class against the Canada team but huffed and puffed against a ten-man Mali before being held by Uzbekistan. With no fresh injury concerns, they will have to be at their best in the knockout rounds and will field the strongest possible lineup.
“I have plenty of confidence in my team,” said Real Madrid midfielder Roberto Martin, after scoring and being chosen as player of the match against Uzbekistan. “We’ve got some incredible players and we’re going to give it our all to win the World Cup.”
Spain predicted XI: Jiménez, Merino, Martin, Cuenca, Mesa, Junyent, Bernal, Martín, Huestamendia, Oyono, López.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Jimenez, Abrol, Gonzalez |
| Defenders: | Mesa, Munzo, Fort, Cuenca, Mernio, Cubarsi, Martin |
| Midfielders: | Junyent, Prim, Martin, Bernal, Hernandez |
| Forwards: | Hauestamenda, Guiu, Yanez, Lopez, Oyono, Igao |
Japan team news
Japan will also be looking to knock Spain out of the competition with a solid performance in the Round of 16. They have no fresh injury concerns and can field a strong line-up against the Spaniards.
Japan will rely on Rento Takaoka for the goals as the forward is currently the joint-topscorer of the tournament with four goals from three games so far.
Japan predicted XI: Gotō, Shibata, Honda, Tsuchiya, Kosugi, Yada, Nakajima, Satō, Takaoka, Yoshinaga, Inoue.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Goto, Kanbayashi, Pisano |
| Defenders: | Matsumoto, Kosugi, Tsuchiya, Honda, Shibata, Nagano, Fuse |
| Midfielders: | Yamamoto, Nakajima, Yada, Sato, Yoshinaga, Kawamura |
| Forwards: | Michiwaki, Takaoka, Nawata, Tokuda, Inoue |
