Group G winners Brazil take on Group H runners up South Korea in tonight’s round of 16 tie at Stadium 974.
South Korea dramatically earned their place in the knockouts stage with a 2-1 win over group winners Portugal as Wolves forward Hwang Hee-Chan scored a 91st minute winner.
Team News:
Brazil coach Tite has had a few injury problems with his squad this tournament with star man Neymar coming off injured in their opener against Serbia with an ankle problem.
Brazil were able to offer a positive update on the injury though, with the forward deemed fit enough to be in with a chance of starting against South Korea.
They will however be without both Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles who suffered injuries in Brazil’s 1-0 loss to Cameroon on Friday. Full-back Alex Sandro is also a doubt with a hip problem.
As for South Korea they have a few worries going into the game with Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae, Lee Kang-In and Kim Young-Gwon being doubtful for the game.
Predicted line-ups:
Brazil – Alisson, Danilo, Silva, Marquinhos, Militao, Fred, Casemiro, Paqueta, Vinicius, Richarlison, Raphinha.
With Telles suffering an injury in their last game and Alex Sandro also potentially missing, Brazil may look to Juventus full-back Danilo to cover.
As for the rest of the side, the likes of Alisson, Marquinhos, Casemiro and Richarlison are all expected to return amongst others.
South Korea – Seung-Gyu Kim, Moon-Hwan Kim, Min-Jae Kim, Young-Gwon Kim, Jin-Su Kim, In-Beom Hwang, Woo-Young Jung, Hee-Chan Hwang, Woo-Yeong Jeong, Heung-Min Son, Gue-Sung Cho.
One to Watch:
The football talent in Brazil’s squad can contest with any in the world. With Neymar being a doubtful starter they could look to the most expensive player of all time on the bench.
But Vinicius is most likely starting for the Seleção and he is the one to watch as far as South Korea are concerned. The forward has been in electric form for Spanish giants Real Madrid, and has also shone for his national side. He is able to decide the game on his own.
It was Wolves’ Hwang Hee-Chan who sent his country into the next stage of the competition but fellow forward Heung-Min Son is the one to watch.
The Tottenham star man has recorded just one assist this tournament but Premier League defenders will be able to tell you just how difficult he is to defend against.
With Son potentially coming up against Danilo, who hasn’t been Brazil’s number one starting left-back, he will be looking to give him nightmares during the game.
Form Guide:
Brazil made a host of changes in their 1-0 loss as they lost to Cameroon, and in the other two games they managed wins against Serbia and Switzerland.
As for South Korea, they pulled off a dramatic win over Portugal and drew with Uruguay to book their space in the round of 16.
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Where To Watch It:
Tonight’s game will be played at Stadium 974 and kicks off at 19.00 UK time and 22.00 local time. With the match live on ITV.
