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

The South American giants will eye a winning start against the Asian side.

The Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will kick-off with Uruguay facing South Korea. Uruguay secured the third position in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. According to FIFA's official records, Uruguay have won the World Cup two times in their history. La Celeste has had many great players such as Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan, Cavani and many others.

South Korea, on the other hand, have qualified for every edition of the World Cup since 1986. Their best run ever was in 2002 when they finished fourth.

Kick off: 6:30 pm(IST), 1:00pm ( GMT)

Uruguay form (All comps): ( W D W L W)

South Korea form (All comps): ( W L D W W)

Players To Watch

Federico Valverde

The Real Madrid player is in the form of his life. Fede has shown that he is not only a versatile player but also great in almost every position. Valverde has even played for Real Madrid as a winger. He has scored eight goals and has four assists in 20 games for Real Madrid across all competitions.

These are great stats because he plays as a central midfielder, a right winger and also sometimes as a right midfielder. Uruguay can benefit from Valverde's versatility and make the best use of it against South Korea.

Son Heung-Min

Not a surprising name to watch here. Son Heung-Min is arguably one of the most underrated footballers. The Tottenham Hotspurs winger often goes under the radar. Son's best moment with South Korea as of now is his goal against Germany that knocked the then-defending champions out of the 2018 World Cup. As of the current season, Son is underperforming for Tottenham Hotspurs.

After amassing 34 goal contributions in 45 matches last season. Son Heung min has managed to score only five goals for Tottenham Hotspurs in the Premier League and the Champions League. Perhaps Son can burst onto the scene when his country needs him the most.

Injury & Team News

It is possible that Ronald Araujo can miss the match against South Korea. The Barcelona defender is recovering from a thigh operation hence Diego Godin is likely to replace him. Fernando Muslera, a regular goalkeeper in the starting XI for Uruguay for the past 13 years is likely to miss the game. This is because Sergio Rochet has already made many appearances for Uruguay's new manager Alonso.

South Korea were set to face a major blow when the news came that Son Heung-Min was injured. This was because of a fracture in his eye socket. However, Son Heung Min stated that he is ready to play for his country whenever required. He may not be at full fitness. Kim Min-Jae is another star player for South Korea. The defender is impressing everyone with his role at Napoli in the Champions League and Serie A.

Predicted Lineup

Uruguay Predicted Line-up: (4-3-1-2)

Sergio Rochet, Varela ,Diego Godin, Gimenez, Olivera, Bentancur,Vecino, Federico Valverde, De Arrascaeta , Darwin Nunez, Luis Suarez

South Korea Predicted Line-up:(4-3-3)

Kim Seung Gyu, Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Min-Jae, Kim Jin-su; Jung Woo-Young, Hwang In-beom, Lee Sung Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-Jo

Head to Head Stats

Uruguay and South Korea have faced each other eight times in the past. It is fair to say that Uruguay have dominated South Korea winning six times and only losing once.

Played - 8Uruguay - 6Drawn - 1South Korea -1

Uruguay vs South Korea Predictions:

With Uruguay's attack looking pretty strong, La Celeste can easily win the match. Uruguay have been averaging two goals per match as well.

Prediction: Uruguay 2-0 South Korea