Korea Republic vs Colombia
Jurgen Klinsmann will be under the spotlight once more when he makes his South Korea debut on Friday when his Taeguk Warriors host Los Cafeteros in an International Friendly at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.
Klinsmann hasn’t coached for a while, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’ll fare here in South Korea, considering that he has succeeded long-time boss Paulo Bento.
His counterpart, Nestor Lorenzo, is also relatively new to his role as Colombia’s manager. However, the Argentine already has one match under his belt, when Colombia visited the USA for an exhibition match last January.
South Korea and Colombia are aiming to make it back to the 2026 World Cup. So, it’s never too early to start making preparations for the biggest football event, even if it’s still a few years away.
Talking Points
Klinsmann has something to prove
Jurgen Klinsmann is tasked with leading South Korea to new heights following their Round of 16 run during last year’s World Cup.
The Taeguk Warriors weren’t expected to make it that far, so fans, particularly from Asia, were delighted to see their surprising success in the biggest football event.
Klinsmann’s hiring was deemed questionable because he doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation as a coach. He is so determined to prove his critics wrong and is developing an attack-oriented strategy in South Korea.
The German coach himself was a prolific striker back in the day, scoring 79 goals in 156 matches at Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart back in the 1980s. When he was first unveiled as South Korea’s new boss, Klinsmann emphasized the need to bring out the best in their attackers.
Klinsmann is particularly looking at Heung-Min Son, who struggled in the 2022 World Cup due to an eye injury. And since the World Cup, Son’s form has dropped. The 30-year-old winger scored 23 Premier League goals for Tottenham last season, but he has only scored five times this year.
Lee Kang-In, Hwang Ui-Jo, and Cho Gue-Sung are also expected to have more prominent roles under Klinsmann’s aggressive tactics, so we might see several International Friendly 2023 highlights from them on Friday.
Colombia’s road to 2026 starts here
Los Cafeteros haven’t done much since finishing third in the 2021 Copa America. They missed out on the 2022 World Cup because they came up short in the qualifiers, so they’ll be hoping to turn the corner with their new boss, Nestor Lorenzo.
Several people had doubts about Lorenzo because of his inexperience when he succeeded Reinaldo Rueda last June. Lorenzo has spent much of his coaching career as an assistant to Jose Pekerman, who guided Argentina and Colombia to the 2006, 2014, and 2018 World Cups.
Colombia have an aging roster, so it would be wise for Nestor Lorenzo to give more chances to his younger stars. Luis Diaz, Luis Sinisterra, and Rafael Santos Borre are going to lead their frontline for the foreseeable future since Radamel Falcao, Luis Muriel, and Duvan Zapata are all past their 30s.
Diaz and Sinisterra have four goals apiece for Liverpool and Leeds United, respectively. Borre, on the other hand, has recorded two goals and two assists for Eintracht Frankfurt this season.
History
Friday marks the eighth-ever meeting between South Korea and Colombia, who are ranked 25th and 17th, respectively, in the updated FIFA men’s ranking.
South Korea lead this matchup with four wins, while Colombia have only won once, along with two draws.
These two nations last met in March 2019, when the Taeguk Warriors notched a 2-1 victory, as Heung-Min Son and Jae-Sung Lee found the back of the net, while Luis Diaz scored the consolation goal for Los Cafeteros.
Heung-Min Son will make his 109th appearance for the Taeguk Warriors on Friday, and he’ll make his 110th when they host Uruguay next Tuesday, tying Sung-Yeung Ki for eighth in the national team’s most caps list.
David Ospina currently leads Colombia for having the most appearances, and he’ll be making his 128th on Friday.
Betting Tip
The SBOTOP International Friendly 2023 odds predict a tight exhibition between Colombia and Korea Republic. Colombia were given the slight edge at 2.42, while a win for Korea Republic is at 2.83, and a draw was priced at 3.00 in the 1X2 market.
It remains to be seen how Klinsmann’s South Korea squad will look. But overall, they’re the more talented side than Colombia. And they’re playing at home, so they should be able to give Klinsmann his first victory.
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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