URUGUAY – SOUTH KOREA | Thursday 2 pm
In Group H, Portugal and Uruguay have “booked” the first two places: if we make it a matter of blazon and quality of the squad, they should be the ones to contend for the top spot, with South Korea and Ghana acting as sparring partners. But Saudi Arabia’s incredible victory against Messi’s highly favoured Argentina has clearly told us that in this World Cup there are no matches already written. That is why both the Lusitanians and the Celeste must not fail on their debut, lest they end up with their backs to the wall before the direct clash. Uruguay knows it well, a selection that, judging by the latest results, is bursting with health. The exoneration – reluctantly – of Oscar Tabarez, El Maestro, who had sat on the bench of the South American national team for fifteen years, was probably the right thing to do. Diego Alonso, the new selector, brought not only a breath of fresh air but also the right enthusiasm.
And after a false start in the elimination round, Suarez and his teammates made a brilliant comeback, winning all four of their last matches and finishing in third place behind the unreachable Brazil and Argentina. In the subsequent friendlies, Uruguay also did not demerit: out of five matches played, they won five, losing only one. The Celeste’s last outing was last September, while South Korea, with whom they will make their debut at the Education Stadium in Al Rayyan, took on Iceland a week ago, beaten 1-0 thanks to a goal by Min-kyu Song.
They will not be those of the historic semi-final reached in 2022 in their home World Cup, but the men led by Portuguese Paulo Bento, like Uruguay, have arrived in Qatar in high spirits and with some certainties: during the calendar year they have suffered only three defeats – including one against Brazil – while at the same time almost exclusively collecting victories, even against superior opponents (Chile, Egypt, Cameroon). The stars are defender Kim, who is doing wonders for Spalletti’s Napoli, and striker Son, who is expected to play with a protective mask after his bad injury with Tottenham.
Uruguay-South Korea: latest line-up news
Son
Alonso will confirm the innovations already seen during the last matches. One of these concerns the goal, where Rochet seems to have taken the place of veteran Muslera. In defence, the coach will have to do without the injured Araujo, who will probably remain out for all the matches of the round. In place of the Barcelona player, the former Cagliari and Inter player Godin is ready, who will flank Atletico Madrid’s centre forward Gimenez. The midfield is the department that should give the most guarantees, with Bentancur and Valverde doing very well at their respective clubs. In the attacking trident, De Arrascaeta and Darwin Nunez will rotate around the stainless Luis Suarez.
In South Korea, the only doubt remains over the condition of Son, who risked missing the World Cup after his face injury. However, the Tottenham striker has reassured everyone and will almost certainly be on the pitch from the 1′.
The Prediction
In attack, apart from Son, South Korea lack quality and will likely only trouble Uruguay through excellent organisation in the non-possession phase. But that seems to be one of the few weapons at the disposal of the Asians, who in all likelihood will not be able to avoid defeat against a Uruguay that is coming off a good period. The total number of goals should be less than three.
The likely line-ups for Uruguay-South Korea
- URUGUAY (4-3-3): Rochet; Varela, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera; Valverde, Torreira, Bentancur; De Arrascaeta, L. Suarez, Nunez.
- SOUTH KOREA (4-3-3): Seung-gyu Kim; Moon-Hwan Kim, Young-gwon Kim, Min-Jae Kim, Jin-Su Kim; Jae-sung Lee, Woo-Young Jung, In-beom Hwang; Ui-jo Hwang, Woo-Yeong Jeong, Heung-Min Son.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0
