Korea Republic vs Mexico
After pulling off the biggest shocker of World Cup 2018, Mexico will look to continue their ascendancy when they play their second Group F match at Rostov-on-Don.
Mexico are off to a dream start as they beat reigning champions Germany. And while that will be a tough act to follow, confidence is undoubtedly high inside the El Tri camp.
Next up for Juan Carlos Osorio’s men is the South Koreans who are still reeling following their frustrating defeat to Sweden.
As expected, the Mexicans are considered heavy favourites to come out on top and secure the number one spot in the group. However, beating the Taegeuk Warriors might prove trickier for them considering that they don’t have much time to study their Asian opponents, as compared to their preparation for Germany.
Talking Points
Still remember Sweden’s recent “spygate” incident? Yes, that strategy wherein the Swedes gave one of their coaching staff a James Bond-esque mission to observe and record South Korea’s training sessions.
It’s doubtful Mexico will do something like that. Nonetheless, such move reveals one thing: there’s not much known about the South Koreans that their opponents had to resort to such “dirty” tactic.
Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado acknowledged this and even warned his teammates that the Taegeuk Warriors might prove to be more dangerous opponents than the Germans.
“Korea isn’t an [easy] team as people believe,” Guardado explained. “In terms of pressing, they’ll make it very complicated for us.”
“I have more fear of Korea because less is known about them and that’s when you can be overconfident. We have to realize that it will be very complicated and our minds are set on winning and looking for a slightly easier draw [in the Round of 16].”
Sure enough, Mexico know that they have more quality compared to the South Koreans. But, as they would have probably learned from watching the videotapes of the Korea Republic-Sweden match, Shin Tae-yong’s side can make life difficult for any team.
While the South Korea offence leaves much to be desired, their defence was excellent against the Swedes. They played physically and fought for possession throughout, though that backfired when Sweden were awarded the winning penalty.
South Korea third-choice keeper Cho Hyun-woo has also established himself as a threat between the sticks. It remains to be seen if he will start (or even play) again, but if he does, Mexico should expect a hard time breaching the Korean wall.
Mexico will likely rely on Hirving Lozano once again to lead the frontline against South Korea. However, fans can expect a more determined showing from the nation’s all-time top-scorer Javier Hernandez. Chicharito is only one goal short of 50 international goals, and what better way to reach the landmark feat than at the World Cup?
History
Although history suggests South Korea have been the better team at the turn of the century—winning three of their last four meetings against Mexico since 2000—El Tri still have a reason to be confident. After all, their last battle saw them thrash the Asian side 4-0 in a friendly.
The Mexicans also have a remarkable history in the World Cup against opponents from Asia, having won all their past three meetings with Asian nations—scoring seven goals and conceding just two.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that Mexico have lost only two times in their last 18 World Cup group stage matches, a 1-2 defeat to Portugal in 2006 and 0-1 versus Uruguay in 2010. They have nine wins and seven draws in that stretch.
South Korea, meanwhile, are winless in their last seven fixtures in the tournament and are currently on a three-game losing streak.
As what we have learned from the World Cup 2018 results though, history matters little as surprises can come from any nation.
What are the odds?
World Cup 2018 odds point to a Mexico win at 1X2 @ 1.71, with Korea Republic at 5.20 and the Draw at 3.40.
SBOBET Asian Handicap sports betting, nevertheless, gave Mexico a -0.50 handicap at 1.73 —with a -1.00 handicap at 2.26—suggesting that there might not be much separation between the two teams when it comes to goals.
With that said, it’s interesting to note that the odds indicate a low-scoring affair. Over 2.00 goals pay at 1.67, while Under 2.25 is at 1.92. A Correct Score of 1-0 for a Mexico win is also the likely result at 5.20—a 1-1 draw is at 6.80 and 0-1 Korea Republic victory at 12.50.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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