2022 World Cup: Brazil vs. South Korea Preview, Odds, Prediction

Brazil meets South Korea in the Round of 16, with this being one of the most interesting pairs. Not in terms of drama or excitement, but because only a few expected to see it. Most of the fans were getting ready to witness a South American derby, between Brazil and Uruguay, who was in the mix until the 91st minute of Korea vs. Portugal game, when Hee-Chan Hwang scored, bringing pain and tears to Uruguay (Luis Suarez, particularly). And here we have South Korea, a team that plays fair and decent football, going against the top contender for the title at this championship.

Preview

Brazil (-500) had two wins and a loss in the group stage, but that one came in the last round to Cameroon, 1-0, and it didn’t hurt Tite and his boys.

Before that, Brazil was better than Serbia, 2-0, and Switzerland, 1-0 and they demonstrated flamboyant, yet smart football. They usually scan the rivals in the opening 45 minutes and after that, go to attack his weak spots and score.

They had nine wins in a row before this loss, and were very confident in all the games, scoring twice or more in several of those games. Usually, they netted four or more times.

South Korea (+1300) managed to squeeze into the round of 16 with a goal in the stoppage time, as Hwang hit the back of Portugal’s net to bring his team a 2-1 win. With these three points, Korea had four, the same as Uruguay, and both teams had a neutral goal difference, but the Koreans scored more goals, four.

Uruguay chased another score for a few minutes, but Ghana wanted to revenge for 2010, and they made it. Many suggest that the Portuguese team had their revenge for the last World Cup, once Uruguay eliminated them in the quarterfinals.

Korea plays dynamic and very aggressive football, with lots of running and high pace, trying to score but also, defending well. Often they make mistakes in the midfield that could be lethal, but simply that’s the style of play this unit prefers.

Latest News

Neymar will be ready for this game, and that’s the most important thing for the Brazilians who were afraid of what is the condition of their best player. All the others are ready to play as well.

Koreans have no problems with injured players nor with suspensions and we expect to see them ready to roll on Monday.

Head to Head Games

Brazil and Korea met in June this year in Korea, and Selecao massacred the rivals 1-5, with Neymar netting a brace, Richarlison, Coutinho and Jesus adding one each. In 2019 Brazil and Korea played one more friendly, and Selecao posted a 3-0 win.

Prediction

We don’t have to say too much about Brazil’s power and the difference in quality here, because the most recent meeting between these teams speaks for itself. Brazil will be focused 100% on this game, and we expect them to be pretty confident and beat the rivals while covering a 1.5-goal spread.

Pick: Brazil -1.5 -110

 

Check out for our other World Cup Round of 16 previews:

• Japan vs. Croatia
• Morocco vs. Spain
• England vs. Senegal