It's time for Son Heung-min to speak up

The most exciting match in the 1/8 round of the 2023 Asian Cup is the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and South Korea. It can be said that Japan's fall to 2nd place in Group D is an important catalyst that created this match. The Korean team is rumored to be deliberately "avoiding" Japan. But before them is still a big challenge called Saudi Arabia - another championship candidate of the tournament.

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea Prediction

The confrontation between the two teams can be considered a match that reaches World Cup level. In the most recent tournament in 2022, South Korea and Saudi Arabia both left their own mark. Unable to get past the group stage, the Saudi Arabian team made the whole world sway with their victory over Argentina.

Meanwhile, the Korean team played impressively in the group stage but had to accept a 0-4 loss to Brazil.

The Korean team has high hopes for Son Heung-min.

Returning to the 2023 Asian Cup, coach Roberto Mancini and coach Jurgen Klinsmann both have the strongest squads before the knockout round. People are curious to see how the strength of the Korean team will be fully demonstrated when they no longer have to calculate many things.

Basically, Korea is still rated higher on the offensive front than on the defensive. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in are the wings that any European team dreams of, not just those in Asia. If they play to their potential, these two stars can both score goals themselves and create assists for teammates like Hwang Hee-chan and Cho Gue-sung.

On the other side of the front line, the Saudi Arabian team relies heavily on striker Salem Al Dawsari. In addition, the midfield certainly has the presence of Kanno - a tall and powerful midfielder. Coach Mancini probably won't change the 3-5-2 tactical system that is working well for the West Asian representative.

However, the attacking speed is something that Saudi Arabia needs to improve, so Saleh Al Shehri is likely to return to the starting lineup.

Saudi Arabia has nothing to fear from South Korea and a goal feast is what fans are waiting for.

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea form:

The South Korean team is unbeaten in 12 consecutive matches, drawing four of them. Son Heung-min and his teammates drew two out of three matches in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup. In the match against Saudi Arabia in September 2023, South Korea won 1-0.

Saudi Arabia does not have as long a streak of impressive matches as South Korea. However, they are unbeaten at the 2023 Asian Cup. Looking at the bigger picture, this team has won 6/10 of the most recent matches.

Prediction: Saudi Arabia 2-3 South Korea

Expected lineup:

Saudi Arabia: Al Kassar (23), Al Bulayhi (5), Al Al Jami (4), Al Tambakti (17), Abdulhamid (12), Al Khaibari (!5), Al Naji (16), Kanno (23), Nasser Al Dawsari (24), Salem Al Dawsari (10), Saleh Al Shehri (11).

Korea: Jo Hyeon-woo (21), Kim Tae-hwan (23), Kim Min-jae (4), Kim Young-gwon (19), Seol Young-woo (22), Lee Kang-in (18), Lee Jae-sung (10), In-beom Hwang (6), Hwang Hee-chan (11), Son (7), Cho Gue-sung (9)

Mai Phuong

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