Analysis and predictions for Iraq vs South Korea: A cold-blooded finishing blow.

Latest information on the Iraq vs South Korea match lineups.

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 and captain the team, possibly supported by Youssef Amyn and Ali Jasim of Como, while Rebin Sulaka hopes to make his 50th appearance in defense.

On the South Korean side, the standout name in the 26-man squad is Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, who has made 133 appearances and is just four games away from breaking the record for most caps for the national team.

Son will most likely play as a central striker, supported by Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), and Lee Kang-in (PSG) — the player who just won the Champions League with his team.

Bayern Munich's center-back Kim Min-jae wasn't called up for this month's training camp, so Cho Yu-min and Kwon Kyung-won are likely to start in the central defense.

Latest predicted 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 match prediction: Iraq vs South Korea

With only two matches remaining in Group B, Iraq still has a chance to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, although hopes of competing for a top-two spot are wavering after a series of inconsistent performances.

After securing 7 points in their opening three qualifying matches (2 wins, 1 draw), Iraq have only won 1 of their last 5 matches (2 draws, 2 losses), with a 1-0 victory away against Oman, followed by a 2-2 draw at home against Kuwait and a 1-2 loss to Palestine in March.

Ranked 59th in the world by FIFA, Iraq currently sits third in Group B and needs just one point from their last two matches to secure a place in the fourth qualifying round.

Graham Arnold's team is aiming for a top-two finish and direct qualification, as they are just one point behind second-placed Jordan. Iraq will face Jordan in a crucial away match next Tuesday.

Iraq have lost all three of their recent encounters with South Korea, and a loss on Thursday would close their chances of finishing in the top two if Jordan win by a large margin against Oman, who are currently in fourth place.

Meanwhile, South Korea could secure first place in Group B and, along with other Asian teams like Japan and Iran, qualify for the 2026 World Cup if they beat Iraq and Jordan fails to beat Oman.

Coach Hong Myung-bo remains undefeated since taking charge of the Taegeuk Warriors, with 4 wins and 4 draws in 8 qualifying matches, earning 16 points and leading second-placed Jordan by 3 points.

South Korea, who have participated in six consecutive World Cups, could have secured top spot in the group early on if they hadn't drawn 1-1 in their last three matches against Palestine, Oman, and Jordan. However, they did win 3-2 at home against Iraq in the second leg last October.

Ranked 23rd in the world by FIFA, South Korea are unbeaten in their last 10 encounters (in 90 minutes) across all competitions (6 wins, 4 draws), since losing 0-1 in the 1972 Asian Cup final, which provides a positive foundation ahead of Thursday's match.

Latest Iraq vs South Korea score prediction

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for 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 can I watch Iraq vs South Korea live?

To watch the Iraq vs South Korea match live in the World Cup qualifiers, taking place at 7:00 AM on June 5th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.