Predictions from the Opta supercomputer.
Prior to the Round of 32 clash, the Opta supercomputer performed 25,000 simulations and produced favorable predictions for Canada.
The co-hosts are given a 56.2% chance of winning, while South Africa's chances of causing an upset are only 19.7%. The probability of the two teams going into extra time or a tense penalty shootout is 24.1%.
In terms of chances to advance to the round of 16, Canada is rated higher with 68.29%, compared to 31.71% for the African representative.
South Africa writes its own fairy tale.
South Africa caused a major surprise by finishing second in Group A, ahead of both South Korea and the Czech Republic, to follow Mexico into the knockout round.
Despite having rather modest attacking statistics, with the fewest touches in the opponent's penalty area in the group and only creating two clear-cut chances, Hugo Broos's team still knew how to capitalize on opportunities to advance. The hero who led South Africa to the round of 32 was Thapelo Maseko with the only goal against South Korea.
Interestingly, South Africa's last 11 World Cup goals have been scored by 11 different players, showcasing the diversity in their attacking approach. Coach Hugo Broos (74 years old) will also become the oldest manager in history to lead a team in the World Cup knockout rounds.
Canada aims for a new milestone.
Canada advanced to the knockout stage after finishing second in Group B with 4 points. They made a big splash with a 6-0 victory over Qatar, becoming the first host nation to advance from the group stage with 4 points since the 1994 World Cup in the United States .
Coach Jesse Marsch has significantly improved Canada's attacking capabilities, with them registering 21 shots on target in the group stage, nearly double the total number of shots on target in their two previous World Cups combined. Nathan Saliba is emerging as a major discovery with one goal and two assists in just two appearances.
History of confrontations
This is only the second time the two teams have met in history. In their only previous encounter in 2007, South Africa won 2-0 in a friendly match.
It's worth noting that Canada has lost both of their previous encounters with African teams in official tournaments, against Cameroon at the 2001 Confederations Cup and Morocco at the 2022 World Cup.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/sieu-may-tinh-du-doan-ket-qua-tran-nam-phi-vs-canada-241184.html
