Sweden Vs South Korea
On the 18h of June, Sweden is playing South Korea at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Head-To-Head
| 16 May 1996 | Korea Republic v Sweden | 0-2 | International Friendly |
| 22 Jan 2005 | Sweden v Korea Republic | 1-1 | International Friendly |
| 12 Nov 2005 | Korea Republic v Sweden | 2-2 | International Friendly |
Sweden
Sweden has become a highly effective defensive unit since coach Janne Andersson took the contract. Sweden brought brute force to the qualifiers with their astonishing victory over Italy, beating Holland to the runner’s spot and beating France following being defeated by them at home.
Qualifying Moments
In June 2016 at home, Sweden drew 1-1 with Holland in the opening qualifier. Holland lost whilst they had more possession, twice as many passes and plenty more shots on goal. Ola Toivonen scored during injury time leading to a 2-1 victory over France in June 2017. For the first time since 2006, Sweden reached the finals after drawing with Italy 0-0.
JANNE ANDERSSON
55-year-old Janne Andersson agreed on a three-year contract for coaching Sweden in June 2015. This was to replace Eric Hamren at the end of Sweden’s Euro 2016 campaign. His coaching career started at Alets IK, where he then moved onto Laholmes, Halmstads, Orgryte and then Norrkoping.
EMIL FORSBERG
26-year-old Emil Forsberg is a winger for RB Leipzig and Sweden’s national team. He is the most imaginative element of the Swedish national team by far. His strong running, intelligent movements and long passing range is why the Swedes rely on him so much.
OTHER NEWS
Jakob Johansson may not be present for the finals due to ligament damage. Sweden has two new debuts with Alexander Fransson and Striker Samuel Armenteros joining the squad.
South Korea
South Korea has only qualifying for the World Cup itself to be happy about in regards to their last round. They won four of the ten qualifying games they played with only one point earned from five away games.
Qualifying Moments
With only five minutes left to go Koo Ja-Cheol scored, resulting in a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan in November 2016. A first competitive defeat against their neighbors Korea lost to China 1-0 in March 2017. They then lost to Qatar 3-2 in June 2017. Korea Republic needed to beat Uzbekistan in September 2017 to qualify, however, they drew 0-0. In the end, the players sat on the pitch waiting patiently to be told that Syria lost to Iran which is how they secured their place for Russia 2018.
SHIN TAE-YONG
The 48-year-old former midfielder took charge of South Korea’s team in 2015. He led Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to victory in the 2010 Asain Champions League. According to John Duerden from ‘The Guardian’ Shin’s nickname is the ‘Asian Mourinho’.
SON HEUNG-MIN
The 25-year-old winger plays for Tottenham Hotspur following his £22m move and the South Korean national team. Within this last season, he has gone from a squad player to the key figure in the Spurs team. In Russia, Son will have the expectations of the whole nation on his shoulder as he is without a doubt the star of South Korea’s national team.
OTHER NEWS
Lee Chung-Yong was not present for any of South Korea’s qualifying matches following the lack of his playing time with Crystal Palace.
PREDICTED LINE-UP
SPORTS OF THE DAYS VERDICT
Following the fact that South Korea only just got through to the World Cup, we think Sweden will have an easy time against them on the pitch in Russia.
Google’s win probability is at 45% for Sweden to beat South Korea. The chances of South Korea winning is at just 26% with a 29% chance of it being a draw.
