World Cup Prediction: Portugal was eliminated 20 years ago, but South Korea is not what it used to be, so they can only fight again next time?

The World Cup in Qatar will usher in the last two group matches and the places to advance to the top 16 have been confirmed, which are 4 games in Group H and Group G. One of the games in Group H is the Korean team's game against Portugal at the Education City Stadium. people look forward to. Can the South Korean team, which has yet to win the World Cup, beat the Portuguese team, which has won two consecutive victories?

Although they have already qualified, the Portuguese team needs to score 1 point in the final round of the group match against South Korea in order to be sure to advance to the round of 16 with the first place, so as to avoid the second place qualifying and encountering the strong enemy Brazil.

As for the South Korean team , they drew with Uruguay in the first game. Although they performed well in the second game and scored 2 goals, they were pulled back by Ghana and ended in a 3-2 defeat. At present, the South Korean team has not yet won a victory. Ranked 3rd in the group.

In order to get a chance to qualify in the group stage, the South Korean team must win in this game. Not only that. It is also necessary to pray that Uruguay beat Ghana in another game in the same group, so that they can compete for the second place in terms of goal difference.

Injuries for both teams

However, the Portuguese team has more injuries. 20-year-old defender Nuno Mendes has confirmed his withdrawal from the World Cup squad, while 31-year-old midfielder Danilo Luis Elio Pereira and Portugal captain Cristiano · Ronaldo (C Ronaldo) is also doubtful because of his injury, and it is likely that he will not participate in the final round of the group stage.

The South Korean team's 26-year-old forward Hwang Hee-chan has not yet appeared in this World Cup due to a hamstring injury. Whether he can participate in this focus game remains to be seen. As for the captain Sun Xingmin, although he recovered from the cheekbone fracture surgery, he wore a protective mask to play. However, in the last game, it can be seen that his facial injury has not yet healed, which will also affect his performance in the game.

Portugal was eliminated by South Korea in the World Cup 20 years ago

It is worth mentioning that the two teams had once faced each other in the World Cup, and that was the 2002 World Cup. At that time, the South Korean team defeated the Portuguese team 1-0 in the group stage, and that game was also the only defeat of the Portuguese team in the five matches against Asian teams in the history of the World Cup. That year, the Brazilian team also scored 3 wins and 1 draw in the same group, and the Portuguese team was eliminated in the group stage.

In 2002, the Korean team was the first Asian team that had reached the semi-finals and won the third place. But today is different. The South Korean team has hated the group stage in the past 7 World Cups. In the 23 World Cups against powerful European countries, the South Korean team only won 6 games. In addition, the 24-year-old striker Cao Kyu-sung is the first Korean player to score twice in the World Cup.

However, the Portuguese team has only lost 1 game in the past 14 World Cup group matches, which is the country with the fewest defeats in the history of the World Cup group. In this World Cup, Portugal's 28-year-old midfielder Bruno Fernandez is in very good form. Not only did he score twice in the last round to beat Uruguay 2-0, he also scored 5 goals in Portugal's current World Cup. Contributed 4 goals and 2 assists, is the second player in the history of the World Cup who scored the most goals and assists in the first 2 group matches. The first place was the 34-year-old "goal machine" of the French team in 2014— — Karim Benzema.

World Cup Prediction - Portugal vs South Korea

But overall, compared to the strength of the two teams, there is no doubt that the South Korean team is at a disadvantage. Although the South Korean team tried their best in this game, they are still inferior to the Portuguese team in terms of lineup depth and experience.

Even without Ronaldo, Portugal has sufficient offensive firepower to defeat the South Korean team.

It is predicted that the Portuguese team can beat the South Korean team 2-0 or 3-1 with a large advantage. Regardless of the result, the South Korean team may miss the top 16 of this World Cup, and can only count on the next battle.