First will play second on Tuesday when South Korea welcome Jordan to the Suwon World Cup Stadium for an AFC World Cup qualifying clash in Group B.
The Taeguk Warriors come into this game looking to extend their lengthy unbeaten streak, while the Chivalrous Ones will be aiming to record back-to-back wins for the first time since last June.
Match preview
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Hong Myung-bo‘s South Korea are currently undefeated in their World Cup qualifying group, having won four and drawn three of their seven matches so far.
However, their last two have both ended in stalemates, including a 1-1 tie with Oman on Thursday in which Hwang Hee-chan gave the Taeguk Warriors the lead only for Ali Al Busaidi to equalise with 10 minutes to play.
Dropping two points in midweek has left Hong’s side with 15 points at the top of Group B, and extended their unbeaten run to 11 games, an impressive streak stretching back to February 2024.
With such a record, the hosts will be feeling confident of securing yet another three points this time around, and having last tasted defeat at home in the summer of 2023, South Korea will be bolstered by the support of their own crowd.
Should the Taeguk Warriors earn their fifth win in the group on Tuesday, then they could find themselves six points clear in first place depending on the outcome of Iraq’s match against Palestine.
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Meanwhile, Jamal Sellami‘s Jordan have enjoyed a strong spell in Group B, and with just three points between themselves and their opponents, they will be motivated to deliver a strong performance in midweek.
The Chivalrous Ones have only lost one of their eight most recent games, and after beating Palestine 3-1 on Thursday, they find themselves second with 12 points, though they are just ahead of third-placed Iraq on goal difference.
That being said, their triumph on Thursday was their first win in their last seven, going back to a 4-0 thrashing of Oman in October in the World Cup qualifiers.
Despite avoiding defeat on a regular basis, such a lack of victories may have Sellami’s side low on confidence coming up against the group leaders, but the visitors can draw hope from the fact that they are on an eight-game unbeaten run in competitive fixtures away from the Amman International Stadium.
Jordan will also recall that they were the last team to beat South Korea when they ran out 2-0 winners in an Asian Cup game in 2024, and if they can repeat that result on Tuesday, then they could leapfrog their opponents and go top of the tree before the end of the international break.
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Team News
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South Korea are to be without midfielder Paik Seung-ho after he picked up an injury against Oman, while the versatile Lee Kang-in, who came on to replace him and assisted Hwang’s opener on Thursday, suffered an ankle injury.
In their absence, expect Lee Jae-sung to start alongside Park Yong-woo at the base of midfield, while Yang Hyun-jun supports striker Joo Min-kyu up top.
As for Jordan, they may be missing midfielder Amer Jamous after he was withdrawn with injury against Palestine, and Ibrahim Sadeh could take his place in the XI.
Elsewhere, Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Alarab and Mo Abualnadi should make up Sellami’s back three as they look to protect Yazeed Abulaila between the sticks.
South Korea possible starting lineup:
H Jo; Seol, Y Jo, Kwon, T Lee; J Lee, Park; Hwang, J Lee, Son; Ju
Jordan possible starting lineup:
Abulaila; Nasib, Alarab, Abualnadi; Haddad, Sadeh, Al-Rashdan, Taha; Al-Taamari, Al-Mardi; Al-Naimat
We say: South Korea 1-1 Jordan
South Korea have proven exceptionally difficult to beat in AFC World Cup qualifiers, and they are unlikely to drop three points in midweek.
However, with Lee Kang-in absent, they may find it difficult to break down their opponents and could have to settle for a draw.
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