Kick-off: 1900, 05/12/2022
Stadium: Stadium 974
TV: ITV
Brazil blotted their copybook when beaten by Cameroon on Friday but the key players will be back to face South Korea at the last-16 stage.
The Selecao had previously impressed with two professional wins against decent opposition in Serbia and Switzerland and look too strong here.
We reckon 9/10 for the favourites to oblige and under 3.5 goals in the game is a rock-solid Brazil vs South Korea prediction.
Brazil Odds
With qualification already assured, Brazil coach Tite made nine changes for the 1-0 loss to Cameroon but didn’t take that defeat lightly.
“We must feel the loss when we lose,” he said. “As we won the first two matches, it gives you a second chance, but usually in the World Cup that is not the case.
“The first Brazilian coach who lost to an African team, that is now in my history. We have to suffer for 24 hours and then we have to start getting ready.”
Those comments highlight the determination of Tite to end 20 years of hurt and take the World Cup trophy back home for a record sixth time.
Getting Neymar back from an ankle injury which has forced him to miss the last two matches would be a major boost.
Without the creative spark of their talismanic front man, Brazil can be a touch predictable in attack.
The Selecao took a while to get on top of Serbia before prevailing 2-0 and had to wait until the 83rd minute to end Switzerland’s stubborn resistance.
There was never a feeling that they wouldn’t get there in the end on each occasion, though, and it would be no surprise to see a similar scenario play out here.
Looking at the Brazil vs South Korea odds, a value option is 11/4 for the scores to be level at half-time and then the South Americans to win.
South Korea Odds
South Korea are playing in their 10th straight World Cup tournament and made it through to the knockout rounds for the third time in dramatic fashion.
The Taegeuk Warriors kicked off with a gutsy goalless stalemate versus Uruguay but looked up against it after going down 3-2 to Ghana.
Things got even worse when Ricardo Horta put Portugal ahead after just five minutes but Kim Young-gwon equalised before the half-hour mark.
Just when South Korea seemed resigned to bowing out with their heads held high, Tottenham star Son Heung-min set up Hwang Hee-chan of Wolves to grab an injury-time decider.
Portuguese manager Paulo Bento and his team still had an anxious wait watching the final minutes of Uruguay’s clash with Ghana unfold on mobile phones, but ultimately progressed.
Hwang said: “When Son got the ball, I was convinced that he would pass it to me. It was an excellent pass and it made my job much more easier.
“It was difficult waiting for the result of the match between Uruguay and Ghana, but we proved once again that we could make it to the knockout stage.”
South Korea made it all the way through to the semi-finals as co-hosts in 2002, but fell at this point when edged out 2-1 by Uruguay in 2010.
The fear this time is that they used up all their energy, and good fortune, getting through three tough pool matches.
We’re putting up 19/4 for the Selecao to win 2-0 as another Brazil vs South Korea prediction, plus a speculative punt on Marquinhos to score first at 12/1.
The Taegeuk Warriors can look vulnerable at set-pieces and the PSG defender is always an aerial threat when getting forward.
Additional stats
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