AFC World Cup Qualifiers - South Korea vs Thailand - Tips & Preview - Taegeuk Warriors Set To Tame The War Elephants

The Seoul World Cup Stadium will set the stage for the encounter between South Korea and Thailand. The Taegeuk Warriors have recorded commanding wins in the first two matches of this stage, while Thailand have tasted defeat once and emerged victorious on the other occasion. The hosts are favourites to win this clash.

South Korea thrashed Singapore 5-0 in their first fixture of the group stage and then went to China to hand them a 3-0 defeat in their own backyard. Thailand’s second-round journey did not start well as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home against China. However, the War Elephants bounced back in Singapore and clinched a crucial 3-1 victory.

Maintaining winning momentum will be crucial in the World Cup qualifiers. After the first two matches of round two, South Korea participated in the Asian Cup. After a series of unconvincing results, the Taegeuk Warriors were eventually eliminated in the semifinals after a shocking 2-0 loss against Jordan.

During their Asian Cup stint, South Korea only won two out of six games in regulation time. Those victories came against Bahrain in the first match of the competition and against Australia in the quarterfinals. In the group stage, Jordan and Malaysia held the Taegeuk Warriors to stalemates, while they required penalties against Saudi Arabia to win.

Considering the magnitude of their next opponents, Thailand will be more than happy if they can pick up a point against South Korea in the qualifiers. Finishing second in the group will be enough to push the War Elephants into the next round of the qualifiers. They will face South Korea home and away in their next two games and will hope for a positive result in both.

Thailand were also participating in the Asian Cup and clawed their way into the knockout phase after beating Kyrgyzstan 2-0 and securing goalless draws against Oman and Saudi Arabia. However, in the first knockout round, Uzbekistan sent the War Elephants packing after handing them a 2-1 defeat.