Comments and predictions for Iraq vs South Korea: A cold final blow
The match between Iraq and South Korea in the World Cup qualifiers will take place at 7:00 a.m. on June 5. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest Iraq vs South Korea force information
Iraq will be without right-back Mustafa Saadoon through 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 and 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 made 133 appearances and is only four matches away from becoming the most capped player in the national team.
Son is likely to 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 review Iraq vs 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 their 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 defeat to Palestine in March.
Ranked 59th in the world by FIFA, Iraq are currently third in Group B and need just one point from their final two matches to secure their place in the fourth qualifying round.
Graham Arnold's side 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 a decisive away match next Tuesday.
Iraq have lost all three of their recent meetings with South Korea, and a defeat on Thursday would end their chances of finishing in the top two 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 had it not been for consecutive 1-1 draws in their last three games 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 meetings (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 Iraq vs South Korea score prediction
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 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.
