Korea Republic vs Bolivia
There are a few Asian countries that are as established in the general consciousness of the normal footballing fan as South Korea. Thanks to the outstanding performances of their players in Europe, they have firmly established themselves as a side to reckon with internationally, regardless if the fixture is an international friendly or a World Cup tie.
The Taeguk Warriors have their own share of ups and downs in the past year as they missed out on making the knockout stages of the 2018 World Cup. The new year also didn’t look good for them as they fell flat in the Asian Cup.
However, they now have a long break before their next significant competition. Korea Republic can now look to make some tweaks to their side as they prepare for their next international foray. Bolivia will provide an interesting challenge as Paulo Bento tries to build his XI.
Talking Points
An exciting youngster leads La Verde
Bolivia aren’t the first nation to come to mind when it comes to quality footballing talent. There aren’t a lot of Bolivians playing in the biggest football competitions in the world, and many of their national team players are pulled from the domestic Primera Division.
Moreover, they don’t have the most impressive of records in international competitions. They have only qualified to the World Cup three times, the last of which being in 1994. And since their campaign to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, they have struggled to even qualify to the big dance. They are one of the leakiest sides in the South American qualifiers, conceding at least 30 goals in every qualifying run.
It does seem like the team is destined for failure no matter where they go. However, La Verde‘s ever-supportive fans have something to look forward to in the form of a teenager.
Ramiro Vaca is the youngest player to suit up in Eduardo Villegas’ current Bolivia side. He made his debut in the national team as a 17-year-old against Nicaragua and is slowly building his form with Bolivian side The Strongest.
Vaca had fans salivating over his high potential after scoring a belter of a goal against Chile in the Sudamericano Sub 20 in January. He followed that up with showing off his superb dribbling skills before scoring a goal against Nicaragua — the team he debuted against — to score a fantastic equaliser to finish the friendly in a tie.
Much is expected out of the youngster, and we can expect him to make more international friendly 2019 news in the future.
Korea look to bounce back
While things are looking up for Bolivia, the Taeguk Warriors are looking for an answer to the miserable run that was the AFC Asian Cup.
They struggled in the knockout stages of the opposition despite having Son Heung-min, the London Football Awards’ Premier League Player of the Year, on their side. They barely made it to the quarter-finals after crawling their way past a courageous Bahrain side. They then fell short in the next stage as they found no answer to the plays of eventual winners Qatar.
However, it is important to remember that this Korea team still has the class of players that can bring it even to the best of sides. Despite Germany being out of sorts in the World Cup, it still cannot be denied that they sent the defending world champions packing. The image of Mexicans celebrating with the Korean ambassador still lingers in my mind.
They also have quality players on their side. Cho Hyun-woo, Ki Sung-yueng, Lee Jae-sung, and Hwang Hee-chan are top-class players that have been plying their trade abroad. Paulo Bento should be able to build a team that can more than match up whatever Bolivia throws at them.
History
They haven’t met each other that often, so there’s not much for the international friendly 2019 odds to go about. Given the way La Verde are playing now, I don’t think they will be able to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, either. Vaca would have to do a lot of heavy-lifting before that even happens.
They only met their opponents twice. Once in the group stages of the 1994 World Cup where the game ended in a bore draw. The next time they met was in June 2018, where the Russia-bound Koreans tapped the Bolivians to get a feel of the Southern American game.
The match also ended in a nil-nil tie.
Betting Tip
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Korea Republic vs Bolivia | Korea Republic Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.11 |
| March 22, 19:00 (GMT+8) |
There’s no question that top bookies like SBOBET back the Taeguk Warriors to take the easy win over Bolivia. They have the better players, a more consistent record abroad, and the wealth of experience they have gotten by just playing in the World Cup so many times should help them here.
However, I can’t shake off the feeling that Vaca would do something magnificent against Korea. He easily impresses on the eye test, and it will be intriguing to see how he will be able to perform in Ulsan.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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