The race for a place in the last 16 of the World Cup goes down to the wire in Group E as Japan square off against Spain at the Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday.
Luis Enrique's side were denied early qualification to the knockout stages as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Germany at the Al Bayt Stadium in last Sunday's second round of group fixtures.
Off the back of a record-setting 7-0 victory over Costa Rica, substitute Alvaro Morata netted shortly after the hour mark to put La Joya ahead and set Germany on their way to a group-stage exit before Niclas Fullkrug restored parity to hand Hansi Flick's side a glimmer of hope.
As for Japan, they kicked off their quest for a second successive knockout-stage appearance on a high as they fought back from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Germany in last week's curtain-raiser.
However, Hajime Moriyasu's men were sent crashing down to earth as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica four days later, when Keysher Fuller struck in the 83rd minute to hand Los Ticos a much-needed victory.
Japan head into Thursday needing a win to guarantee their place in the round of 16 as they currently sit second in Group E, level on three points with third-placed Costa Rica and one point off Spain at the top of the standings.
To do so, the Samurai Blue must avoid a repeat of their previous and only meeting against Spain, which came in a friendly contest back in April 2001, when they fell to a slender 1-0 defeat.
In that encounter, former Valencia midfielder Ruban Baraja came up clutch for the one-time world champions as he grabbed a 90th-minute winner at the Estadio Nuevo El Arcangel.
However, Japan will take courage from the fact that they have won each of their last two games against European nations, claiming a 1-0 friendly victory over Serbia back in June 2021, before stunning Germany in last Wednesday's Group E opener.
JAPAN VS. SPAIN HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Japan wins: 0
Spain wins: 1
Draws: 0
Japan goals: 0
Spain goals: 1
MATCH HISTORY
April 25, 2001: Japan 0-1 Spain (International Friendly)
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