Match News and Current Form

After an uninspiring performance in their opening fixture, Brazil warmed to the task nicely in Group C, registering back-to-back 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland to secure a first-place finish above Morocco. The Seleção have netted seven times without reply since falling behind on matchday one, their longest run of unanswered goals at the World Cup since 2002, when they last won the competition. They’ll hope legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti helps them end that drought, as although they’ve not fallen at the first knockout hurdle of a World Cup since 1990, Brazil have been eliminated from four of their last six World Cup knockout matches, more than their previous 17 combined (3).

Widely touted dark horses Japan run into one of the favourites to go all the way despite an unbeaten run through Group F (W1, D2), with their 1-1 draw against Sweden on matchday three denying Hajime Moriyasu’s men the chance to win the group. Moriyasu insists his side “aren’t a pushover” but their miserable history beyond the World Cup group stage flies in the face of that statement. The Samurai Blue have never won a knockout match at the finals (L4), and a return of just one victory in five games in this competition against CONMEBOL sides historically (D1, L3) understandably places them as outsiders to progress here.