Brazil will take on South Korea in the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Monday night and they will look to book their place in the Quarterfinals of the competition.
The South American giants are one of the favourites to win the World Cup this year and they will look to send out a strong statement to their rivals with a win.
Brazil were beaten by Cameroon in their final group game but it was a heavily rotated side and they will be determined to bounce back strongly against Korea.
Meanwhile, South Korea picked up a stunning 2-1 win over Portugal to book their place in the round of 16 and they will be looking to pull off another upset here.
Son Heung-min sustained multiple fractures around his left eye less than a month ago.
He did everything he could to make the World Cup for South Korea.
Provides the 91st minute assist to send them through.
Captain. Leader. Legend 👏 pic.twitter.com/eUhDIqc62J
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 2, 2022
Paulo Bento’s side have shown that they cannot be taken lightly and they will pose a challenge for Brazil.
The likes of Son Heung-Min will be full of confidence and momentum heading into this game but they need to play out of their skin in order to grind out a memorable result here.
Team News and Tactics
Brazil
The South American giants rotated their key players for the final group game against Cameroon and they should be able to field their first-choice lineup here.
Apart from Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus, Tite will have a fully fit squad to choose from. Neymar trained on Friday and he is expected to be available for this game.
"He will practice this afternoon, if everything goes well, he will play.”
Tite has confirmed Neymar is on track be available for Brazil’s game against South Korea on Monday. pic.twitter.com/VY1RckJPrK
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) December 4, 2022
Tite is likely to deploy a 4-3-3 setup with Alisson Becker in goal. The back four will comprise of Danilo, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Alex Sandro. Casemiro will sit deep as the defensive midfielder and he will look to break up the Korean play.
In the central midfield, Lucas Paqueta should partner Fred.
Vinicius Junior and Raphinha are likely to be deployed in the wide roles and Neymar will lead the line for the South American giants.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Silva, Sandro; Fred, Casemiro, Paqueta; Raphinha, Neymar, Vinicius
South Korea
The Asian giants have no notable injury concerns heading into this game.
Bento is likely to stick with his 4-2-3-1 with Kim Seung-Gyu in goal.
Kim Moon-Hwan and Kim Jin-Su will start as the full-backs and they will be integral to Korea’s counter-attacking play. They will be expected to cover the centre-backs against Brazil’s wingers as well.
In the centre, Kim Min-Jae will partner Kim Young-Gwon
Jung Woo-Young and Hwang In-Beom will sit back as the deepest midfielders and they will look to break up the play and recycle possession. They will be expected to initiate counters with their long passing.
In the wide areas, Hwang Hee-Chan and Son Heung-Min will look to add pace and goals to the side.
Jeong Woo-Yeong will be the number ten here and he will look to drop deep and add numbers to the midfield and link up with the striker as well.
Cho Gue-Sung has been in impressive form and he will lead the line for Korea.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Seung-Gyu; Moon-Hwan, Min-Jae, Young-Gwon, Jin-Su; Woo-Young, In-Beom; Hee-Chan, Woo-Yeong, Son; Cho
Key Stats
- Brazil have won their last 4 matches against South Korea in all competitions.
- Brazil have been winning at both half-time and full-time in their last 3 matches against South Korea in all competitions.
- Brazil have scored at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches against South Korea in all competitions.
- Neymar scored a brace in his last outing against South Korea.
- Taegeuk Warriors have never defeated a South American opponent in their previous six attempts at the World Cup.
Player to watch out for
Neymar
The Brazilian star is coming back from an injury and he will be raring to make his mark in the World Cup.
Brazil will need him firing on all cylinders if they are to win the tournament.
Neymar could punish the Korean side with his flair and goalscoring ability here. He is an exceptional playmaker as well. The 30-year-old is undoubtedly the best player on the pitch and he is our man to watch out for.
I feel good, I knew that I would now
✋🏽😜🤚🏽 pic.twitter.com/LpJ3BZJaU9— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) December 3, 2022
Prediction
Brazil 2-1 South Korea
The Asian outfit have shown that they are a worthy opponent and they will be desperate to put on a show against Brazil as well.
The South American outfit are a much better side on paper and the gulf in class is enormous. However, this is likely to be a close contest.
That said, Brazil have enough firepower to edge this one.
The Hard Tackle predicts a close win for the South American giants.