Mexico is on cloud nine at the moment. El Tri pulled off the upset of the tournament thus far when they knocked off defending champions Germany in their opener. A year after they were trounced 4-1 in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, Juan Carlos Osorio’s side was able to extract a considerable amount of revenge.
With the victory, Mexico is in a commanding spot in Group F. A win over South Korea would pretty much lock up their spot in the knockout stages and put them in position to finagle their way around a potential match-up with Brazil in the Round of 16. They have lost in the Round of 16 for six straight World Cups, and that is a fate they are looking to avoid this time.
The most anticipated sporting event in the world comes around once every four years, so don’t miss any of the 2018 World Cup. This match will take place at Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 23, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
World Cup Group Stage Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
South Korea +490
Mexico -158
Draw +287
Over/Under 2 and 2.5
Last Match
Coming into the World Cup, South Korea was seen as the worst team in Group F. They didn’t do much to dissuade anyone of that opinion against Sweden. South Korea weren’t able to create many chances for themselves, while they were continually harassed in their own end. This team wasn’t able to put a single shot on goal and managed just five shots in total on the day. It was a disappointing outing, and they showed their frustration by picking up 23 fouls in the match.
Mexico was brilliant in its win against Germany. They were able to successfully counterattack throughout the match and used the Germans’ aggressiveness against them. Mexico’s defense was incredible, only allowing a handful of real opportunities, and Chicharito was great at leading the break. El Tri were able to attack along the outside and threatened the center backs with their speed in a large amount of space. They only held the ball for a third of the match, but they had much better scoring chances than Germany.
Player to Watch
The man of the match for Mexico in their win was Hirving Lozano. Lozano scored the game’s lone goal, and he was a terror along the back in the victory. He was constantly able to find space and made Germany’s defense pay with spectacular runs. Lozano showed an ability to create too, feeding his teammates into open areas where they can threaten.
He is the early candidate to be the breakout player of the World Cup. The 22-year old only recently came to Europe, and he had a fantastic season with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, notching 17 goals in 29 matches. He plays like a right-footed Arjen Robben, repeatedly making dashing runs on the outside before looking to cut inside to fire in on goal. South Korea must find a way to prevent him from getting the ball in space.
Matchup to Watch
This will be the best chance South Korea’s forwards have to make an impact in Russia. Mexico’s back line was great against Germany, but they have been notoriously inconsistent under Osorio.
That means South Korea’s Son Heung-Min will be able to create some opportunities. He and Koo Ja-Cheol are the big offensive threats, and it will be on their shoulders to find some goals.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Mexico should be able to take care of business following their victory over Germany. However, it looked like El Tri left a lot of emotion on the field in their last match. I think they will struggle to match that effort here, and that will lead to a draw.
World Cup Group Stage Odds: Mexico 1, South Korea 1
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