Korea Republic World Cup 2022 Predictions, Squad, Manager & Odds

South Korea arrive in Qatar to participate in their 10th consecutive World Cup - a span that dates back to 1986, which is a very impressive record. Stunned last time out in Russia in the chaos that closed out Group F, Korea beat Germany on the final day but were eliminated by Sweden’s win over Mexico. They’ll be hoping to go at least one better this time around.

Who is the South Korea manager?

Coach Paulo Bento has a stellar managerial CV - winning silverware at Sporting and Olympiacos, as well as leading the Portuguese national team for four years and at two major tournaments.

He was in charge in Russia last time as well, and would probably have been shifted on in the coaching carousel if it wasn’t for COVID - South Korea have a pretty regular pattern of moving on their coach after each World Cup cycle. And yet he remains respected by this group, even if there are questions from the public about a poor sequence of results this year.

What tactics can we expect from them at the World Cup?

Bento’s South Korea are usually set up in a 4-3-3, where they look to exert technical control whilst releasing an aggressive front line quite aggressively. The midfield trio are comfortable in possession, but they’re equally not afraid to go long and direct to their attacking trident either - a front line who will regularly try and get in behind the opposition defenders. 

This is by no means simply a counter-attacking team, however. In possession, the full-backs have licence to get high and wide, the wingers are happy to invert and kick inwards to create overloads in the middle - South Korea love to commit numbers to goalscoring opportunities when they sense the moment is right. 

The question mark remains though if this leaves them too exposed. This year alone, despite the brilliance of Kim Min-jae, who has stepped up into the Kalidou Koulibaly-sized breach at Napoli, they have conceded too many goals - 2 each to Costa Rica and Paraguay, 3 to Japan and 5 to Brazil stand out as uncomfortable reading. 

That means there’s a lot of pressure on the forwards to deliver. Luckily for the nation, they have one of the world’s best players willing to shoulder that burden.

Who are the players to watch for South Korea?

We’re talking of course about Tottenham’s Son Heung-min. South Korea as a whole held their breath as their leading light and captain hobbled off from Spurs’ Champions League game against Marseille with a fractured eye socket, but there is growing confidence that he will not just be able to go to the tournament, but to start in their first game. 

Son’s ridiculous ability in transition, to dance past players at full speed, and his unerring finishing powers are the difference between this side being competitive or not. A leader by example, Son will head up the press, track back to help his full-back and produce moments of individual quality when his nation need him most. 

Who is favourite to be top scorer for South Korea?

He is not alone though, on the offensive front. If Son starts in a wide position as we expect, the man through the middle is likely to be Hwang Ui-jo - the Olympiacos striker on loan from Nottingham Forest.

Whilst he is yet to score for his new side this season, an impressive campaign at struggling Bordeaux in Ligue 1 last year was enough to secure him a move, and with 16 goals for his country, his goalscoring prowess isn’t hugely in question. 

Versatile across the front line, and able to dovetail nicely with both Son and Wolves man Hwang Hee-chan, the three of them provide a tricky, interchangeable front line that has caused numerous problems for opposition teams down the years. 

How did South Korea qualify for the World Cup?

Qualification was achieved with relative ease for South Korea. They lost just once in their ten qualifying games, finishing 2 points behind group winners Iran but 11 points clear of the third placed spot that would have left them in the playoffs - and even that loss came after qualification was already secure. 

What are the ambitions for this South Korea team?

In a group with Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana, getting out of the group would be a real achievement for South Korea, even with such a stellar forward line - and their odds of 400/1 reflect that challenge.

That said, this is a side that have caused shocks before, and when you have a player like Son, with the individual ability to turn a game on its head by himself, don’t be surprised if more upsets occur in Qatar. 

South Korea World Cups Odds

At 550/1 they look right up against it with only five teams coming into the tournament at longer odds than South Korea. 

South Korea World Cup prediction by oddschecker

The 8/11 on South Korea to have over 2.5 total team goals looks a good angle in here as despite not having the squad to compete with others in their group their forward line has plenty of attacking talent to find the back of the net in their three group stage matches.