Korea Republic vs UAE

Goyang Stadium is the venue as the Korea Republic and the United Arab Emirates lock horns in an exciting World Cup qualifying fixture.

A brace of one-goal wins over Lebanon and Syria sandwiched by a pair of low-scoring draws with Iraq and Iran puts South Korea in second place in Group A heading into this round. Seeking their tenth consecutive World Cup finals appearance, the ‘Taegeuk Warriors’ hold a three-point lead over third-placed Lebanon, meaning they have no margin for error here. Luckily for head coach Paulo Bento, South Korea have defeated the UAE in all five previous H2Hs as hosts, netting 2+ goals on each occasion. That free-scoring record is a sharp contrast to the Koreans’ recent attacking output, as they’ve bagged under 1.5 goals in three of their last four World Cup qualifying fixtures. But after winning four of their five World Cup qualifiers at home this calendar year (D1), confidence should be high in the home camp.

On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates are already lagging five points behind second-placed South Korea, having drawn three of their opening four Group A matches (L1). Seeking their first third-round victory, the visitors can fall back on a three-game unbeaten streak away from home (W2, D1), with both wins in that sequence yielding a clean sheet. After conceding an average of 3.2 goals per game across their last five H2Hs on the road, the UAE will have to summon that defensive strength if they are to avoid another failure here. Their ability to hold South Korea at bay could make the difference here, especially considering the UAE’s paltry goalscoring return of just three goals from their four Group A games to date.