[The battle is on: Japan vs. Croatia]
Race Preview: Passion is on the line at 23:00 Taiwan time on Monday, December 5th!
Head-to-head history: Japan and CROATIA are tied at 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, with a total of 4-4 goals scored.
Star of the show: Japanese upstart Yasutoshi Don vs. Croatian midfield maestro Luka Modric.
Pre-match analysis: Japan has caught the world's attention with their unpredictable tactics. Facing strong teams such as Germany and Spain, they have fought back from adversity and their road to promotion is full of drama. Mori Boichi's tactical arrangement is unpredictable, and the team switches freely between defense and offense. However, against a strong ball-control team like Croatia, Japan may focus more on defense and use quick counter-attacks to find opportunities. The pairing of Yasutoshi Don and Kaoru Mitaka is expected to be the team's heroes once again. Croatia, despite their mediocre group stage results, have a strong midfield and the play of Modric and others is crucial. They will need to watch out for Japan's quick counter-attacks and make sure their defense is solid in order to get the upper hand in this matchup.
[Power play: Brazil versus Korea]
Match Preview: The summit match is coming up on Tuesday, December 6 at 03:00 Taiwan time!
Head-to-head history: Brazil holds a commanding lead over South Korea, with 6 wins, 0 losses and a 16-5 goal total.
Star of the show: Brazilian star Vinicius Junior versus South Korean striker Son.
Pre-match analysis: Despite injuries to Neymar and Gabriel Jesus, Brazil continue to show great strength. Vinicius has been impressive on the wing and is expected to be the centerpiece of the attack. Brazil's defense is more solid after the last game of the group stage. South Korea advanced with a shutout, but the deficiencies in the defense could be magnified against a strong team like Brazil. Son's play will be key for South Korea as he will need to lead the team in finding the breaks. Despite Brazil's dominance, Son's performance could still change the course of the game.
