When the draw was made, the South Koreans probably fancied themselves to emerge from Group C with minimal fuss, though China have so far led the way and currently sit top thanks to their superior goal difference. South Korea must win this match if they’re to advance as group winners. Given that they’re one of the most prestigious nations at this tournament (in footballing terms), South Korea were expected to make light work of reaching the knockout rounds, though the way in which they won their opening two games was far from impressive. A 1-0 win was all they could manage against the Philippines on match-day one, while they could only score a single goal when defeating Kyrgyzstan last time out. Unsurprisingly, Paulo Bento’s men dominated against both Philippines and Kyrgyzstan, while they did create a reasonable amount of scoring opportunities, though their end-product was lacking. The boss will be hoping that the addition of star player Son Heung-min, who has now joined up with the squad, will help in that respect. Against Kyrgyzstan on match-day one, South Korea did create plenty, as they clocked a useful expected-goals for figure of 2.62, though they didn’t look overly sharp at the back. On that occasion, they gave up a few chances, as the fact that they ended the game having conceded 1.61 expected goals suggests. A better side than Kyrgyzstan would’ve made them pay. With marksman Wu Lei in their ranks, China have shown that they can score goals, so Bento’s men will need to sharpen up at the back. From a creativity point of view, China, despite scoring three more goals than Wednesday’s opponents, haven’t quite offered as much as South Korea. The Chinese are currently averaging 1.49 expected goals for, while Korea are averaging 2.26. Such numbers tell us that Korea have more about them offensively, though it is the Dragons who’ve made lighter work of getting the ball in the net. At the other end of the pitch, China have looked the better side. In terms of opportunities, against Kyrgyzstan, Marcello Lippi’s men conceded less than South Korea, who shipped 1.61 expected goals compared to just 0.82 conceded by the Chinese. What’s more, China gave up just 0.05 against Philippines, who mustered 0.46 against South Korea. From what we’ve seen so far, it’s fair to say that South Korea are a better side than China in possession, while they seem to be that bit more creative. However, they’ve looked more open at the back and have not exactly made light work of making their dominance pay. On this basis, it’s easy to feel that the visitors have been slightly underestimated in the early betting.
When the draw was made, the South Koreans probably fancied themselves to emerge from Group C with minimal fuss, though China have so far led the way and currently sit top thanks to their superior goal difference. South Korea must win this match if they’re to advance as group winners.
Given that they’re one of the most prestigious nations at this tournament (in footballing terms), South Korea were expected to make light work of reaching the knockout rounds, though the way in which they won their opening two games was far from impressive. A 1-0 win was all they could manage against the Philippines on match-day one, while they could only score a single goal when defeating Kyrgyzstan last time out. Unsurprisingly, Paulo Bento’s men dominated against both Philippines and Kyrgyzstan, while they did create a reasonable amount of scoring opportunities, though their end-product was lacking. The boss will be hoping that the addition of star player Son Heung-min, who has now joined up with the squad, will help in that respect.
Against Kyrgyzstan on match-day one, South Korea did create plenty, as they clocked a useful expected-goals for figure of 2.62, though they didn’t look overly sharp at the back. On that occasion, they gave up a few chances, as the fact that they ended the game having conceded 1.61 expected goals suggests. A better side than Kyrgyzstan would’ve made them pay. With marksman Wu Lei in their ranks, China have shown that they can score goals, so Bento’s men will need to sharpen up at the back.
From a creativity point of view, China, despite scoring three more goals than Wednesday’s opponents, haven’t quite offered as much as South Korea. The Chinese are currently averaging 1.49 expected goals for, while Korea are averaging 2.26. Such numbers tell us that Korea have more about them offensively, though it is the Dragons who’ve made lighter work of getting the ball in the net. At the other end of the pitch, China have looked the better side. In terms of opportunities, against Kyrgyzstan, Marcello Lippi’s men conceded less than South Korea, who shipped 1.61 expected goals compared to just 0.82 conceded by the Chinese. What’s more, China gave up just 0.05 against Philippines, who mustered 0.46 against South Korea.
From what we’ve seen so far, it’s fair to say that South Korea are a better side than China in possession, while they seem to be that bit more creative. However, they’ve looked more open at the back and have not exactly made light work of making their dominance pay. On this basis, it’s easy to feel that the visitors have been slightly underestimated in the early betting.