Spain, who is currently atop Group E, will face Japan, who is currently in second place, in a thrilling 2022 World Cup match on Thursday night at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Both countries were unable to earn all three points in their last group match, with La Roja being obliged to split the win with Germany and the Blue Samurai losing to Costa Rica.
Many predicted that Japan would win the match against Costa Rica on Sunday, picking up all three points after their unexpected 2-1 comeback triumph over Germany in their initial Group E match.
The Blue Samurai were defeated by their Central American opponents by a slim margin of 1-0, with Keysher Fuller scoring the game-winning goal nine minutes from time to completely open up Group E going into the final round of matches.
Hajime Moriyasu's team is still hoping to go to the round of 16 for the second straight World Cup, and they are aware that they must beat Spain to do so.
A loss to La Roja will eliminate them from the tournament, but a draw would be enough to advance them if Costa Rica loses or if Germany does not win by two or more goals.
Moriyasu will be anxious to make sure that his team puts aside their most recent result and instead replicates their achievement from matchday one.
According to FIFA, Japan is ranked 24th in the world.
Spain and Japan have never met in a competitive match; their lone previous encounter took place in April 2001, with La Roja eking out a 1-0 friendly victory.
Spain was denied the opportunity to secure their spot in the round of 16 over the weekend after they were held to a 1-1 draw in Al Khor by a significantly improved German team.
Alvaro Morata opened the scoring against Germany with his second goal of the competition just eight minutes after coming off the bench.
Morata had previously scored the final goal in a thrashing 7-0 opening victory over Costa Rica.
However, Die Mannschaft equalized in the 83rd minute thanks to one of their substitutes, as Niclas Fullkrug fired the ball past Unai Simon to ensure that the two European powerhouses shared the honours.
Luis Enrique, the head coach of La Roja, is fully committed to his present role despite recent media reports that he plans to leave after the World Cup and return to club management.
With a draw against Japan, La Roja will advance to the knockout stages for the fifth time in the last six finals.
KBC World cup match today live
Watch the great game today where Japan takes on Spain both looking for a crucial win to progress to the next round 16 of the FIFA world cup in Qatar.
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