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Josh Gross
South Korea World Cup Team Preview
South Korea
FIFA Ranking: 28
Manager: Paulo Bento
Federation: Asian Football Confederation
Group: Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana, South Korea
Odds to win World Cup: +25000, FanDuel
Odds to win Group H: +1200, FanDuel
Odds to advance in Group H: +250, FanDuel
How did South Korea qualify for the World Cup?
South Korea qualified by taking second place in their qualifying group. They narrowly trailed Iran at the top of the table but held a wide margin over the third-place competitor. It will be South Korea’s 10th straight World Cup appearance.
Who is South Korea’s most important player?
Son Heung-min
The success of South Korea’s 2022 World Cup campaign will revolve around the play of Son Heung-min. The Tottenham attacker is coming off a career 2021-22 season and is in strong form this fall as the tournament approaches. He is not only the best creator on the field, but they will also rely on his goal-scoring ability.
What are South Korea’s strengths, weaknesses, style of play and form?
South Korea will be an aggressive — yet disciplined — side during this tournament, likely deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation. They will get as many players behind the ball as they can while also working to get bodies up the field in the attack. They like to play direct in the attack and want their wingbacks to occupy the flanks. Their best offense will likely come from finding Son in behind their opponent’s defense — a spot in which we know Son can thrive.
They are an experienced team with many of their players at their peaks particularly through the midfield and attack. They could struggle defensively if they fall apart and lose their shape as a team or get caught trying to press forward.
Most recently, South Korea tied Costa Rica and beat Cameron 1-0 in their September tune-up matches.
What is South Korea’s World Cup Outlook?
While the bookmakers do not expect South Korea to make it out of the group, they should not be taken lightly. They will challenge their opponents — and if they can hold their own against one of Portugal and Uruguay — they could put themselves in position to advance.
Best South Korea World Cup Bet
The best bet for South Korea is o2.5 total tournament goals, which is available on FanDuel for -135. With an aggressive style of play and a world class finisher in Son, one goal per game is a very reasonable expectation.
South Korea Projected World Cup Roster
GK: Kim Seung-gyu – Al-Shabab, Jo Hyeon-woo, Song Bum-keun
DF: Kim Jin-su, Hong Chul, Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Young-gwon, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Tae-hwan, Cho Yu-min, Kim Min-jae, Yoon Jong-gyu, Lee Yong, Park Ji-soo
MF: Jung Woo-young, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom, Paik Seung-ho, Na Sang-ho, Son Jun-ho, Lee Kang-in, Yang Hyun-jun, Song Min-kyu, Nam Tae-hee, Kang Seong-jin
FW: Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo, Cho Gue-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Jeong Woo-yeong, Kwon Chang-hoon, Cho Young-wook
Group A | Ecuador Senegal Netherlands Qatar
Group B | Iran Wales USA England
Group C | Mexico Saudi Arabia Poland Argentina
Group D | Tunisia Denmark Australia France
Group E | Japan Germany Costa Rica Spain
Group F | Croatia Morocco Canada Belgium
Group G | Cameroon Switzerland Serbia Brazil
Group H | South Korea Uruguay Ghana Portugal
