Preparing for the tournament as second in the group may not be a bad choice.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, tied with Jordan (ranked 87th in FIFA) at Group E of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Korea time). The draw left South Korea in second place.
With the possibility to rank No. 1 and No. 2 in both groups, Korea is preparing for the number of cases. With the possibility of advancing to the round of 16 by ranking second in the group, only Team Korea is also making preparations. If Korea advances to the round of 16 by ranking second in Group E, it will meet with the No. 1 in Group F. The most likely opponent to rank No. 1 in Group F is Saudi Arabia. Three members of the national team’s coaching staff watched the match between Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan.
Saudi Arabia is likely to top Group F, but there are enough variables left. Saudi Arabia, which is currently ranked first in Group F, has six points and Thailand, which is ranked second, has four points. The two teams will face off in the final group match. If Thailand wins, it will advance to the round of 16 as the top of the group.
If Korea becomes No. 2 in the group and Thailand advance to the round of 16, it will be even better. Thailand is 113rd in the FIFA rankings. As Asia’s soccer level has been upgraded to an upward level, there are no easy teams, but there is a wide gap in their performance. In October, Korea had a landslide 6-0 victory at home against Vietnam, which was ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings.
Assuming that the group is ranking second in the group and advancing to the round of 16, the most likely opponent to meet in the quarterfinals is Group B. Currently, the top spot in Group B is Australia, another favorite to win. Interestingly, Australia is also the most likely candidate to win, but there is no guarantee. Uzbekistan, which is ranking first with six points, has four points. The final match will also be between Australia and Uzbekistan. If Uzbekistan wins, its ranking will be reversed.
If Uzbekistan advances to the round of 16 as the group’s top-ranked team, it will meet one of the third-ranked teams in Group A, C and D. Currently, there is no team in the top three in Group A, C, and D that can jeopardize Uzbekistan’s performance. Unless Japan falls to the third-ranked team in its group after losing to Indonesia, Uzbekistan will receive a match to the round of 16 teams that will not worry too much.
If both Thailand and Uzbekistan win the final match and reach the round of 16, South Korea will have a very good matchup. This is a scenario that is much less difficult than Japan in the round of 16 and Iran in the quarterfinals, which are likely to meet each other if they advance to the top of the group.
If the team advances to second place in the group, Iraq will likely face off against the latter. Iraq displayed strong teamwork and counterattack to quell Japan in the group stage. Iraq will be a tougher team than Jordan. If the team turns the tide of happiness, it will likely meet China in the semifinals. 라바카지노
The winner of the second place in Group A and the second place in Group C will catch Iraq in the quarterfinals and advance to the semifinals. Currently, China ranks second in Group A, and the United Arab Emirates, led by head coach Paulo Bento, ranks second in Group C. If one of the two teams can overcome Iraq and advance to the semifinals, it will have to pray for China, which has mercilessness, rather than Bento, who knows Korea well.