World Cup 2022: South Korea v Portugal Betting Preview & Odds
World Cup Qatar 2022 South Korea v Portugal. The curtains come down at the Education City Stadium, with Portugal clashing with South Korea. Portugal has won their first two games and is safely through. South Korea are third in the group and needs to win and hope other results go their way. Join us as we assess both teams and highlight the players to watch. We also make predictions in the popular Over / Under goals market and our final score prediction.
After losing to Ghana (3 – 2), South Korea is in a tough spot. The stakes are now extremely high in their encounter against group leaders Portugal to stand a chance to qualify. They will need a result and hope Ghana lose to Uruguay. Their manager, Paulo Bento, was shown a red card and will have to perform without their Portuguese manager as they face his national side.
Fernando Santos has been Portugal’s manager for eight years and hopes to lead his nation to a first-ever World Cup trophy. They have already secured qualification for the knockout phase. Still, they need one point to secure the top spot in Group H.
Portugal didn’t have a single stalemate across their first sixteen (eleven wins, five defeats) World Cup games starting from 1966 that ended in 2006.
We research the players that can make a difference in this game and the profitable markets you should consider.
South Korea v Portugal Betting Odds and Markets
The most popular markets are the full-time result or the over/under. See the latest odds-on offer in the tables below.
Full-Time Result
| Match Result Betting | ||
|---|---|---|
| South Korea Win | Draw | Portugal Win |
| 10/3 | 3/1 | 8/11 |
Portugal at 8/11 with bet365 is the outright favourite in the group, and the bookies favour them to win here and top the group. However, South Korea (10/3) must win this to stay in the tournament, with a draw set at 3/1. At just over 3/1 the price for South Korea is fairly low, which indicates the bookies feel they will cause Portugal problems.
South Korea is unbeaten in the last four games, including a 0 – 0 draw against Uruguay in their opening game in Qatar. They have won two, Iceland (1 – 0) and Cameroon (1 – 0), and drawn one, Costa Rica (2 – 2), in their preparation for the games. However, they lost in their second game to Ghana 3-2.
Portugal won three; Switzerland (4 – 0), Czech Republic (4 – 0) (2 – 0), lost two; Spain (1 – 0), Switzerland (1 – 0), and drew one; Spain (1 – 0) in their last six games before the World Cup commenced.
Over/Under Market
| Match Result Betting | |
|---|---|
| Over 2.5 Goals | Under 2.5 Goals |
| 1/1 | 10/11 |
Portugal has the artillery to deliver a high-scoring encounter; thus, we foresee a high-scoring game between the two sides. Two of the group’s four games have seen five goals scored (Portugal 3 Ghana 2 and Ghana 3 South Korea 2).
Players to watch – South Korea
Hwang Hee-Chan is very experienced for a twenty-six-year-old. The Wolves attacker will soon make his fiftieth international appearance and has traversed Europe playing in the Austrian Bundesliga, the German Bundesliga, and now in the Premier League. South Korea needs a hero in a match and a win to qualify for the next phase. He missed the game against Uruguay due to a hamstring injury.
Hwang Hee-chan named ‘potential target’ for German club in January#WWFC https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/wolves-transfers-hwang-hee-chan-25614151
— Wolves Live (@WolvesFC_latest) November 26, 2022
Players to watch Portugal
Ruben Dias is a staple in the Portuguese defence providing cover in speed and youthful energy to the experienced Pepe. The 2020-21 Premier League Player of the Year and UEFA Champions League Defender of the Year has become a powerhouse in Europe. Dias provides Portugal with tactical awareness with his commanding physical presence and impressive passing skills key in dominating games.
Cancelo, @BernardoCSilva & @rubendias secure a win against Uruguay, taking Portugal through to the knock-out stages of the World Cup! 💪🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/rCXYLv4OZ5
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 28, 2022
Match Prediction: Korea 2 – 3 Portugal
Portugal has already qualified, so it’s possible they will feature a weakened squad. Therefore, we expect Korea to have the game of their lives to push the Europeans. With everything to play for, it could be a thrilling game. Consequently, we predict a 2 – 3 win for Portugal against South Korea.
South Korea v Portugal, Group H, Education City Stadium. Kick-off is at 3 pm (UK time).
South Korea Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Motors).
Defenders: Kim Min-Jae (Napoli), Kim Jin-Su (Jeonbuk Motors), Hong Chul (Daegu FC), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Motors), Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul), Kim Young-Gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Cho Yu-min (Daejon Citizen).
Midfielders: Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Motors), Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), Jeong Woo-Yeong (Freiburg), Lee Kang-in (Real Mallorca).
Forwards: Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Motors).
Portugal Squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Rui Patricio (AS Roma).
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (Paris St Germain), Pepe (FC Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (SL Benfica), Nuno Mendes (Paris St Germain), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Joao Palhinha (Fulham FC), Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Mario (SL Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Vitinha (Paris St Germain), William Carvalho (Real Betis), Otavio (FC Porto).
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Ricardo Horta (SC Braga), Goncalo Ramos (FC Benfica), Andre Silva (RB Leipzig).
You can learn more about placing World Cup bets on our World Cup betting page. In addition, our World Cup fixtures page will bring you all the latest match previews and betting tips.
