Mexico vs South Korea Predictions
Mexico impressed in their opening-day win against South Africa, and with the home crowd behind them, will be confident of making it two wins from two.
I have my money on the hosts to claim the points.
Mexico Picking up the Pace
- Mexico won 7 of their last 9 matches
- Mexico won 4 of their last 5 matches against South Korea
- South Korea lost 4 of their last 12 matches
Mexico Dominate South Korea in H2H Record
Mexico and South Korea have met on five previous occasions. Mexico won four of those games. South Korea secured a 2-2 draw in a friendly fixture in their most recent meeting last year.
Mexico Ease Past South Africa
Mexico kicked off the World Cup with a straightforward 2-0 win against South Africa at the Azteca Stadium last weekend.
Julian Quinones gave the hosts an early lead before Raul Jimenez sealed the points with his first-ever World Cup goal.
Javier Aguirre’s side were comfortable winners in Mexico City. El Tri enjoyed 61% possession and posted an xG of 1.46, while South Africa - reduced to nine men following two dismissals - managed just three shots and an xG of only 0.07.
One of three World Cup hosts, Mexico have carried strong form into the tournament. Aguirre’s men won six of eight warm-up fixtures before last weekend’s opening victory.
The Mexicans also boast an excellent recent record in this fixture, scoring 12 goals while winning all four previous meetings between 1998 and 2020.
South Korea Bounce Czechs
South Korea arrive at the Azteca Stadium in high spirits after a superb comeback victory against Czechia last weekend.
Ladislav Krejci gave the Europeans the lead on the hour mark, but goals from Hwang In-beom and Hyeon-gyu Oh turned the contest on its head to secure an impressive win for Myung Bo Hong’s side.
The Asian qualifiers proved good value for their victory at Estadio Akron. South Korea outshot their opponents by 15 to seven, while also posting an xG of 2.30. The Czechs finished with just 0.8 expected goals.
Since back-to-back defeats against Ivory Coast (4-0) and Austria (1-0) in March, the Taegeuk Warriors have responded well. South Korea won their last three games, including a 5-0 success against El Salvador.
Bo Hong’s men will take further confidence from a 2-2 friendly draw secured against Mexico last year.
Squads and Team News
Mexico Squad
Goalkeepers: Raul Rangel, Carlos Acevedo, Guillermo Ochoa
Defenders: Jorge Sanchez, Cesar Montes, Edson Alvarez, Johan Vasquez, Israel Reyes, Mateo Chavez, Jesus Gallardo
Midfielders: Erik Lira, Luis Romo, Alvaro Fidalgo, Orbelin Pineda, Obed Vargas, Gilberto Mora, Luis Chavez, Roberto Alvarado, Brian Gutierrez
Forwards: Raul Jimenez, Alexis Vega, Santiago Gimenez, Armando Gonzalez, Julian Quinones, Cesar Huerta, Guillermo Martinez
Head coach Javier Aguirre will be forced into at least one change for Thursday’s fixture.
Cesar Montes is suspended after his red card against South Africa, with Johan Vasquez expected to come into the starting XI.
Julian Quinones also faces a late fitness test ahead of kick-off.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s contest, Aguirre warned his side against underestimating South Korea.
“You have to walk your talk,” Aguirre said. “Experience tells you that nothing is written in the World Cup."
"If you are the favourite, it doesn't matter. There can be a penalty, an injury or something unexpected, and that happens in the World Cup."
“I am very confident, and I'm trying to transmit that confidence to the players, but we must not forget that South Korea are a strong team.”
South Korea Squad
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu, Song Bum-keun, Jo Hyeon-woo
Defenders: Lee Han-beom, Lee Gi-hyuk, Kim Min-jae, Kim Tae-hyeon, Lee Tae-seok, Cho Wi-je, Kim Moon-hwan, Park Jin-seob, Seol Young-woo, Jens Castrop
Midfielders: Hwang In-beom, Paik Seung-ho, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Bae Jun-ho, Lee Kang-in, Yang Hyun-jun, Kim Jin-gyu, Eom Ji-sung, Lee Dong-gyeong
Forwards: Son Heung-min, Cho Gue-sung, Oh Hyeon-gyu
South Korea manager Bo Hong is likely to retain confidence in much of the same side that beat Czechia.
Defensive duo Bae Jun-Ho and Kim Tae-Hyeon are both struggling with knocks and are unlikely to feature on Thursday.
Bo Hong called for unity as his side look to maintain their strong start to the World Cup.
"Before the match I gave two messages: not give up until the end and unite as one," he told a press conference. "Whether on the pitch or not, we need to play as one team."