Australia and South Korea meet for the third time in the last four AFC Asian Cup editions with this Friday’s clash at Al Janoub Stadium a quarterfinal matchup. The Socceroos thumped Indonesia 4-0 while the Taegeuk Warriors edged Saudi Arabia on penalties to the disgust of Roberto Mancini. The Aussies roared into scoring form after a disciplined group stage which saw Graham Arnold’s men finish top of Group B. Australia are now unbeaten in eight games across all competitions, but they have not beaten the Koreans since 2015 — their sole title triumph in this competition. Jurgen Klinsmann’s side grabbed a late equalizer against the Saudis before winning their quarterfinal berth from the penalty spot. South Korea have only lost once at this stage and that was four years ago when they lost to winners Qatar. Against Australia, they have lost just one of five competitive outings and have three clean sheets from those games.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday, Feb. 2 | Time: 10:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Al Janoub Stadium — Al-Wakrah, Qatar
- Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network
- Odds: Australia +220; Draw +200; South Korea +115
Team news
Australia: Gethin Jones has been passed fit while Lewis Miller and Thomas Deng should be back as well as a returning Mitchell Duke. Arnold brought in Jones and Bruno Fornaroli for Nathaniel Atkinson and Kusini Yengi but Martin Boyle, Craig Goodwin and Harry Souttar did the damage vs. Indonesia.
Potential Australia XI: Ryan; Atkinson, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Metcalfe, Irvine, Bos, Goodwin; McGree; Boyle.
South Korea: Klinsmann brought in Jung Seung-hyun for Cho Gue-sung last time out while Son Heung-min made his 121st appearance. The Tottenham man will level with Yoo Sang-chul in sixth for all-time caps while Jeong Woo-yeong is now on 20 and Kim Jin-su 70. Gue-sung equalized for the Koreans against the Saudis while Jo Hyeon-woo saved two penalties and Hwang Hee-chan scored the decisive one.
Potential South Korea XI: Hyeon-woo; Seung-hyun, Min-jae, Young-gwon; Tae-hwan, Jae-sung, In-beom, Hyun-seok; Kang-in, Woo-yeong; Heung-min.
Prediction
The Koreans battled through against the Saudis but Australia look like they will be too strong for Klinsmann’s side unless they find convincing form. Expect this one to be decided by a goal with the Socceroos squeezing through. Pick: Australia 2, South Korea 1.
KVSP