Son Heung-min will lead the Korean team in the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup began on Friday, with hosts and defending champions Qatar playing their opening match against Lebanon. The Asian Cup, originally scheduled to be held in 2023, will be restarted for the first time in about five years.
The opening game of Group E will be between two-time champions South Korea and Bahrain on January 15 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. South Korea are the team that eliminated Bahrain in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, with the latter poised to decide the outcome.
kick off
January 15, 2024 14:30 UTC
January 15, 2024 17:00 IST
shape
South Korea (in all competitions) WWWWW
Bahrain (all competitions) LLLWW
Featured players
Son Heung-min (Korea)
Son has not only been South Korea’s best player in recent years, but also Asia’s best player. The Spurs forward will be keen to lead his country in Asia’s flagship tournament. Son has scored 41 goals and is South Korea’s current leading scorer. Everyone knows his experience and skills and he will definitely be a threat to Bahrain.
Saeed Mohammed Jafar (Bahrain)
The goalkeeper is Bahrain’s most capped active player. He has participated in the AFC Asian Cup before this tournament and knows what is at stake. The captain is known for his reflexes and movement under the stick. If Bahrain hopes to keep South Korea at bay, Saeed Mohamed Jafar will play a crucial role in that.
agreement of facts
- South Korea defeated Bahrain in the last AFC Asian Cup
- The last time Bahrain defeated South Korea was in 2007.
- The last three matches between the two teams in the AFC Asian Cup have ended with a 2-1 scoreline.
Injuries and team news
South Korea’s Kim Jin-soo is doubtful, while Ahmed Bouganmal may miss the Bahrain match.
face to face
Total number of matches – 24
South Korea wins – 16
Bahrain victory – 3
Draw – 5
Expected lineup
South Korea (4-4-2)
Kim Seung-gyu (GK). Seol Young-woo, Jung Seung-hyun, Kim Young-kwon, Park Young-woo. Jung Woo-young, Hwang In-beom, Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Ki-jae.Son Heung-min (C), Lee Jae-sung
Bahrain (4-1-4-1)
Saeed Mohamed Jafar (GK) (C); Mohamed Adel, Amin Mohammad Hassan Benadi, Waleed Al Hayyam, Abdullah Al Karasi. Mohamed Al Hadan. Ali Madan, Moses Atedeh, Jassim Khelife Wahab Al Salama, Kamil Al Aswad.Abdullah Yusuf Helal
South Korea vs. Bahrain predictions
South Korea enters this match as the clear favorites given the type and quality of their players. However, it won’t be that easy for them as Bahrain are not easy to defeat.
Prediction: Korea 2-1 Bahrain
TV broadcast
India – Sports 18, Geo Cinema
South Korea – TVN Sports, Coupang Play
Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Oman – BeinSports, Alkass
UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands – Triller TV
Australia – Network 10
Click here for worldwide broadcast information.
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