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AFC World Cup Qualifiers - South Korea vs Thailand - Tips & Preview - Taegeuk Warriors Set To Tame The War Elephants
- South Korea lead Group C of the Asian World Cup qualifiers, and Thailand are ranked second.
- Despite subpar performances in the Asian Cup, South Korea is expected to maintain momentum.
- Thailand will be content with a draw against South Korea.
Expired
Cho Guesung of South Korea reacts during the AFC Asian Cup semifinal match between Jordan and South Korea. (Getty Images)
South Korea are sitting at the top of Group C in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers, while Thailand are ranked second in the same group.
- South Korea’s Performance In The Asian Cup Was Subpar
- Thailand Will Be Content With A Draw
- AFC World Cup Qualifiers - South Korea vs Thailand - Tips & Predictions
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.
South Korea’s Performance In The Asian Cup Was Subpar
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.
Thailand Will Be Content With A Draw
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.
AFC World Cup Qualifiers - South Korea vs Thailand - Tips & Predictions
Thailand are a tricky team to face, and South Korea have struggled in recent games. That makes this fixture interesting and difficult to predict. However, the intimidating presence of South Korea in their own backyard could be too much to overcome for the visitors, giving the hosts a narrow victory.
Verdict
These two teams met in Friendly back in 2016. Hyun-Jun Suk scored the only goal of that match, giving South Korea the win. Expect something similar this time around. South Korea are firm favourites to win, and they could have won by a commanding margin, but considering their recent form, it seems like the Taegeuk Warriors are only strong enough to nick this fixture.
South Korea win
Match Result
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