Comments and predictions for Iraq vs South Korea: A cold final blow
The match between Iraq vs South Korea in the World Cup qualifiers takes place at 7:00 a.m. on June 5. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest information on Iraq vs South Korea forces
Iraq will be without right-back Mustafa Saadoon due to injury, while Amjad Attwan (84 caps) and Hussein Ali Al-Saedi (50 caps) are not included in the preliminary squad.
Aymen Hussein, Iraq's fifth-highest goalscorer in history with 32 goals, is expected to lead the attack as captain, possibly supported by Como's Youssef Amyn and Ali Jasim, while Rebin Sulaka hopes to make his 50th appearance in defence.
On the Korean side, the standout name in the 26-man squad is Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, who has 133 appearances and is only four matches away from the record for most capped player in the national team.
Son will likely play as a striker, with support from Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic) and Lee Kang-in (PSG) - the player who just won the Champions League with the team.
Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae was not called up for this month's training camp, so Cho Yu-min and Kwon Kyung-won are likely to start in central defence.
Latest expected lineup for Iraq vs South Korea
Iraq:
Basil; Sulaka, Younis, Hashem; Bayesh, Al-Ammari; Rashid, Yahyal; Amyn, Jasim; Hussein
Korea:
Jo; Seol, Cho, Kwon, T. Lee; I. Hwang, Y. Park; Yang, K. Lee, H. Hwang; Son
Latest football commentary on Iraq vs South Korea
With just two games remaining in Group B, Iraq still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, although hopes of competing for a top-two spot are in doubt after a series of ups and downs.
After picking up seven points from their opening three qualifiers (W2 D1), Iraq have won just one of their last five (D2 L2), with a 1-0 win away to Oman followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Kuwait and a 1-2 loss to Palestine in March.
Ranked 59th in the world by FIFA, Iraq is currently third in Group B and needs just one point from its final two matches to secure a place in the fourth qualifying round.
Graham Arnold's team are aiming for a top-two finish and a direct qualification spot, with just one point separating them from second-placed Jordan. Iraq will face Jordan in the decisive away match next Tuesday.
Iraq have lost all three of their recent meetings with South Korea, and if they lose on Thursday their chances of finishing in the top two will close if Jordan win by maximum against fourth-placed Oman.
Meanwhile, South Korea can be sure to top Group B and will join other Asian teams such as Japan and Iran in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup if they beat Iraq and Jordan fails to beat Oman.
Coach Hong Myung-bo has yet to lose a match since taking charge of the Taegeuk Warriors, with four wins and four draws in eight qualifying matches, earning 16 points and three points ahead of Jordan in second place.
South Korea, who have qualified for six consecutive World Cups, would have already secured top spot in their group if not for consecutive 1-1 draws against Palestine, Oman and Jordan. However, they did beat Iraq 3-2 at home in the return leg last October.
Ranked 23rd in the world by FIFA, South Korea have not lost to Iraq in their last 10 encounters (in 90 minutes) in all competitions (W6 D4), since losing 0-1 in the 1972 Asian Cup final, which sets a positive precedent ahead of Thursday's match.
Latest score prediction for Iraq vs South Korea
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Iraq vs South Koreaas follows:
- Sportsmole:Iraq 1-2 South Korea
- WhoScore:Iraq 0-2 South Korea
- Our newspaper predicts:Iraq 1-2 South Korea
When and where to watch Iraq vs South Korea live?
To watch live the Iraq vs South Korea match in the World Cup qualifiers taking place at 7:00 a.m. on June 5, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.
