Uruguay Vs South Korea Prediction & Lineups

Uruguay vs South Korea preview

Uruguay face off South Korea in the Group H opener in the Education City Stadium this Thursday. Keeping in mind the difficult nature their group, both the nations would wish to hit the ground running. 

In December 2021, when La Celeste were sitting seventh in the World Cup qualifications table, Diego Alonso was entrusted with the herculean task of filling the boots of Óscar Tabárez, colloquially known as El Maestro in the football world. Tabárez had chaperoned Uruguay for over 15 years and led them into three World Cup finals. 

Since then, Alonso has steadied the ship, and with seven wins from the last nine fixtures, his team arrive in Qatar bearing bundles of talent and bright hopes. 

Alonso must be credited with shaping a new-ish identity of this La Celeste side that has a wonderful balance of youth and experience, and attempts to play an authoritative and fast style of football. 

There are four players from the class of 2010 who, with all their wisdom, will be entering their fourth World Cup, while there’s a maturing nucleus of youth players, led by the likes of Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez, and the currently-injured Ronald Araújo, that create the crux of the starting XI.

The manager and the country’s leading goal-getter, Luis Suárez, have not shied away from voicing lofty claims of lifting the golden cup. To do so, their first mission will be to start and stay on their toes against South Korea, who as the Germans can tell you, are no pushovers. 

On the other hand, Paulo Bento’s South Korea are the fifth team to qualify for a 10th consecutive World Cup but their build up to the tournament has been far from flawless. Although the Taeguk Warriors are undefeated in their last five games, the trouncing losses to Brazil (5-1) and Japan (3-0) dampen one’s faith in the 28th-ranked side, especially against top-quality opposition.

However, the biggest anxiety for Bento and his team has been Son Heung-min’s injury in Tottenham Hotspur’s last Champions League fixture against Marseille, just before the start of the great gala in Qatar. The talismanic forward fractured his eye socket, and, for long, it was unclear what implications that might have on the playing XI. 

Bento is a stubborn man when it comes to his system, and outrightly demands his players to hold a lion’s share of possession. However, the Portugese would definitely wish that his side could be more clinical with the chances they create…