World Cup 2022: South Korea to Waste No Time in Booking Their Ticket to Qatar

Lebanon vs Korea Republic

The Taeguk Warriors are within arm’s reach of earning automatic tickets to World Cup 2022, and a win over Lebanon this Thursday at the Saida International Stadium will help them get the job done as soon as possible.

Korea Republic are placed second in Group A with 14 points after the first six matches. They are in great shape given their lead over the rest of the pack, but with four more games to go, their job isn’t finished just yet.

Lebanon, meanwhile, are in danger of missing out for Qatar. The Cedars are the fourth seed in the group with five points – which is only one point behind UAE. However, they can still make it if they’ll somehow finish third in Group A.

Paulo Bento’s side are the huge favourites in the SBOTOP pre-match betting odds given how they’ve fared in their recent games. But given what happened in their reverse fixture at the Suwon World Cup Stadium last September, all signs point to another competitive matchup ahead.

Talking Points

Premier League standouts doubtful to play for South Korea

Korea Republic are without their two best players in the final third as Heung-Min Son and Hwang Hee-Chan are both unlikely to play.

Heung-Min Son was held back due to a hamstring strain that he sustained during their EFL Cup tie against Chelsea few days ago, while Hwang Hee-Chan has been dealing with the exact same injury since December last year.

Both aren’t expected to play this Thursday and also in their next match against Syria on February 1.

But even without their best attackers, the Taeguk Warriors have enough weapons at their disposal that can help them get the job done in their next four matches.

Hwang Ui-Jo of Bordeaux had his first career hat-trick in their Ligue 1 victory over Strasbourg last Sunday, so he’s expected to lead up front and create World Cup 2022 highlights. On the defencive end, they still have the robust centre-back duo of Kim Min-Jae and Kim Young-Gwon.

Since squeezing a tight victory over Lebanon last September, Korea Republic followed up with four wins against Iraq, UAE, and Syria while drawing against table leaders Iran.

Paulo Bento’s side had two international friendlies last week to prepare for this match and they got a huge boost after they crushed European sides Iceland and Moldova with an aggregate tally of 9-1.

A sliver of hope for Lebanon

Lebanon have a great opportunity at their hands to claim the solo third spot in Group A, and an upset over Korea Republic will certainly help their chances.

Unlike Korea Republic, Lebanon are at the back of a 1-0 loss against UAE last November and they haven’t had an international friendly to prepare for this game.

The odds may be stacked against the Cedars on Thursday, but they’re one tough nut to crack and they have capable attackers who can cause problems for their visitors.

Hassan Ali Saad and Mohamad Jalal Kdouh will play huge roles in trying to create attacking opportunities for Lebanon, while Bassel Jradi is another player who has an eye for goals.

History

Korea Republic have been assertive against Lebanon in their head-to-heads. In their last 11 matches prior to Thursday, the Taeguk Warriors won seven times while the Cedars have only won once along with three draws.

The only win for Lebanon happened in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, and it was a memorable one since they upset Korea Republic with a scoreline of 2-1 to advance to the final round.

Because of the upset, Korea Republic sacked manager Cho Kwang-Rae following a barrage of criticism for his team’s lacklustre performance despite being the heavily favoured side to advance to the fourth round.

These two sides last met in September 2021 where Korea Republic escaped with an uninspiring 1-0 victory as Kwon Chang-Hoon scored the lone goal at the hour mark.

Betting Tip

	Lebanon vs Korea Republic	Korea Republic Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.71
	January 27, 20:00 (GMT+8)

Despite missing some key players, Korea Republic remain favourites in the updated World Cup 2022 odds.The Taeguk Warriors are installed at 1.49 to win, while Lebanon are the underdogs at 5.80 and a draw is at 3.60 in the 1X2 market.

The hosts can certainly give their visitors problems just like before, but since their previous meeting, Korea Republic have had a huge improvement in their overall form.

Korea Republic’s dominant international friendly wins over Iceland and Moldova should serve as a reminder on how much damage they can cause. And unfortunately for the Cedars, they’re likely to be on the receiving end this Thursday.

 

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