South Korea vs Czechia
South Korea and Czechia plan to hit the ground running in Group A when the World Cup 2026 officially starts tomorrow. These two teams will battle at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, a few hours after the curtain-raiser between Mexico and South Africa at Estadio Azteca.
The Taeguk Warriors head into this contest in a positive mood, having finished their preparations with a 1-0 win over El Salvador. They were the only unbeaten team throughout AFC qualifying, winning 11 and drawing five matches while accumulating 40 goals.
While South Korea dominated in the AFC qualifiers, Czechia took a more circuitous route to qualify for the quadrennial tournament. After finishing second in Group L of the UEFA qualifiers first round, Miroslav Koubek’s side went through the Path D gauntlet, beating the Republic of Ireland and Denmark to clinch their spot.
Here is today’s SBOTOP match preview featuring these two proud nations.
Talking Points
Son on the verge of South Korea history
Son Heung-min is expected to start up front on Thursday, as the LAFC winger is only two goals away from equalling South Korea’s all-time scoring record, held by Cha Bum-kun for the last four decades. Son, who is the national team’s most-capped player with 144 appearances, has been directly involved in four of the Taeguk Warriors’ last 10 World Cup goals and recorded 14 goal involvements during the AFC qualifiers, so he enters the Czechia match in good form.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo will have his pick of the litter who will support Son up front. Some of his top choices include: Hwang Hee-chan, Cho Gue-sung, and Oh Hyeon-gyu. Lee Kang-in will likely be the starting No. 10, with Lee Jae-sung and Paik Seung-ho manning the midfield.
The Taeguk Warriors recently suffered a big injury blow, as Cho Yu-min was ruled out due to a foot injury. Uncapped Cho Wi-je received the call-up to replace Cho Yu-min. Kim Min-jae, Lee Han-beom, Lee Gi-hyuk, and Seol Young-woo could form the back four against Czechia. Kim Seung-gyu is the oldest player in the national team at 35, and the FC Tokyo veteran will likely start as their goalkeeper.
Schick will spearhead Czechia’s charge
Czechia have a sneakily robust European contingent, but their fortunes rest on Patrik Schick’s broad shoulders. The Bayer Leverkusen star is coming off a productive campaign after overcoming one injury setback after another, as Schick scored 16 league goals for Bayer Leverkusen – good for fourth in the Bundesliga Golden Boot race.
At 26 goals in 53 caps, Schick can overtake Vladimir Smicer (27 goals) in Czechia’s all-time scoring list this World Cup. Schick has shown before he can produce at the big stage, as he scored five goals during Euro 2020, including his memorable strike from the halfway line against Scotland. He’ll certainly get his chances in the final third, with Tomas Soucek, Lukas Provod, Vladimir Coufal, and Pavel Sulc behind him.
History
South Korea are all set for a 12th World Cup, which is the most of any Asian country, and this year’s finals will be their 11th straight appearance. This year’s edition also marks the second time Hong Myung-bo is their World Cup head coach, having presided over an abysmal group-stage exit in 2014.
Czechia are back, and they are coached this time by Miroslav Koubek, who replaced interim coach Jaroslav Kostl last December. Under his tutelage, Czechia have qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006.
These two countries have faced off in three international friendlies, with both teams recording one win each and one draw. South Korea won 2-1 in their last exhibition match against Czechia 10 years ago.
Betting Tip
The World Cup 2026 odds predict a close opening game between South Korea and Czechia on Thursday. The Taeguk Warriors have the slight edge at 2.66, whereas Czechia are close at 2.74, and a draw is valued at 3.12 in the 1X2 market.
It’s difficult to choose the winner between these two nations, but we believe that fans are in for a huge treat, as there will be enough World Cup 2026 highlights to go by this midweek. Besides our recommended bet, punters may also want to add Over 1.75 at 1.52, Over 2.00 at 1.72, Over 2.25 at 2.02, and Over 2.50 at 2.28 to the parlay.
Moreover, the Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of South Korea – the result of their previous encounter – would yield a robust payday of 10.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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