South Korea vs Iraq

South Korea and Iraq go head-to-head at the Seoul World Cup Stadium as the third round of Asia’s 2022 World Cup qualifying gets underway this weekend.

South Korea took their group in the second round by storm, winning all but one of their six Group H fixtures (D1) to claim a top spot in the section and earn a place in the decisive round. The Koreans did so in emphatic fashion, as four of those five triumphs came by a full-time margin of 2+ goals. Additionally, the ‘Taegeuk Warriors’ have won their last three World Cup qualifying fixtures by an aggregate score of 12-1, with the opening goal in each coming within 15 minutes of play. You have to go back to June 2018 to find South Korea’s last home defeat, though it’s worth noting that reverse came in a friendly meeting with Senegal. The hosts have won both home H2Hs this millennium by an aggregate scoreline of 5-1.

In the meantime, Iran pipped Iraq to the top spot of Group C on an enthralling decisive day of action in round two, inflicting the first competitive loss on the ‘Lions of Mesopotamia’ since August 2019 (90 mins only). Getting off the mark first could prove vital to Iraq’s hopes of ensuring a flying start to their Group A campaign, especially considering each of their last three away World Cup qualifiers has seen the victor keep a clean sheet. Entertainment has been at a premium across Iraq’s previous four matches on foreign turf, as each saw one or both sides fail to get on the scoresheet in games garnering under 1.5 total goals (W2, D1, L1). After failing to score in four of their last five H2Hs, the visitors might be skeptical about their chances here.