South Korea vs Ghana: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head

Both the nations meet at lunchtime on Monday

Before the tournament, Uruguay and Portugal were the most talked-about teams. However, South Korea and Ghana showed that they are not helpless bystanders in the race for knockout football.

Uruguay and Paulo Bento's Taeguk Warriors played to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday afternoon. The South Americans were favoured, but the Taeguk Warriors only let them get one shot on goal. Ghana almost got a point against Portugal later that day, but they took the wrong step. But Inaki Williams lost his balance in the last seconds of a 3-2 loss when the goal was right in front of him.

Here's what you need to know about this pair's upcoming meeting.

South Korea vs Ghana

Location: Doha, Qatar

Stadium: Education City Stadium

Date: Monday 28 November

Kick-off Time: 13:00 GMT / 08:00 ET / 05:00 PT

Current Form (Last Five Games)

South Korea: WDWWD

Ghana: WLWWL

Players to Watch

Andre Ayew

Even though he's in his 30s, Ayew, one of Ghana's oldest players, is still plenty speedy and will be bestriding rushing forward from the wing. The weight of expectation for Ghana rests on him because he is one of the key players who can decide the game.

Son Heung-Min

This is not a strange place to keep an eye on that name. It may be argued that Son Heung-Min is one of the most underappreciated footballers today. The winger for Spurs rarely gets any credit for his contributions. Up until this point, Son's goal against Germany in the 2018 World Cup was South Korea's crowning achievement. This year, Son has been a disappointment for Tottenham Hotspurs.

Having contributed to 34 goals in 45 games last year. Only five of Son Heung min's goals for Tottenham Hotspurs have come in major competitions like the Premier League and the Champions League. Perhaps the time will come for Son to shine when his country really needs him.

Team News

Bento's primary health worry before South Korea's eleventh consecutive World Cup was Son Heung-bruised min's face.

The nation's captain, to the relief of 51 million, played the 90 minutes while wearing a protective mask without any major issues; if anything, he had more trouble keeping his captain's armband from sliding down to his wrist.

Kim Min-jae, South Korea's central defender, suffered a calf injury in the second half of their scoreless draw. Following the game, the Napoli defender said, "It's the first time I've damaged a muscle, but I don't think it's serious."

The Ghanaian squad included many rookies. Of the 23 players, Otto Addo selected, 11 had never won more than five caps before the tournament. Despite fielding a more seasoned starting XI in their tournament opener, the only part-time manager at the World Cup is likely to have a completely healthy team at his disposal should he feel the need to make adjustments.

South Korea vs Ghana H2H Results (All-Time)

South Korea: 4 Wins

Draws: 0

Ghana: 4 Wins

Predicted lineup 

South Korea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Kim S G; Kim M, Kim M J, Kim Y G, Kim J S; Hwang I B, Jung; Na, Lee J S, Son H M; Hwang U J.

Ghana predicted lineup (5-3-2):

Ati-Zigi; Seidu, Amartey, Djiku, Salisu, Rahman; Partey, Kudus, Samed; A Ayew, Williams.

South Korea vs Ghana prediction

Both South Korea and Ghana, when facing off against higher-ranked opponents in their initial games, opted to play defence first rather than try to create.

Now that they are in what both teams must believe is their best chance to advance from the group stage, they may choose to go all out in order to win. Before the event, Addo said, "If we lose [the first game], we need to be more attacking in the second match."

South Korea is more organized and has better players than the bottom team in the tournament, Ghana, but the Black Stars could be in trouble if they play on the offensive.

Prediction: South Korea 2-1 Ghana