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

The Asian side will look to cause another World Cup 2022 upset when they face the five-time champions in the last-16 on Monday at Stadium 974.

Brazil won Group G on goal difference, while Paulo Bento's South Korea upset Portugal on the final day of Group H to finish second and advance for the knockouts. A much-changed Brazil had many scoring chances in their last Group G match against Cameroon, but Devis Epassy's goalkeeping and Tite's bench players denied them.

Vincent Aboubakar gave the Indomitable Lions a memorable win after 92 minutes. Aboubakar was sent off for celebrating after being booked, although Cameroon had already left. Brazil won the group by edging Switzerland. Brazil's nine-game winning streak ended. Even their tight wins over Serbia and Switzerland did not demonstrate the ruthlessness in attack that has made them a World Cup favourite.

The five-time champions have started slowly in Qatar. If they want to remain favourites, they must score in the first half. For the ninth straight World Cup, the Selecao has reached the knockout stage. Claudio Caniggia's goal against Argentina in the round of 16 eliminated Brazil 32 years ago.

South Korea overcame 2016 European champions Portugal on Friday afternoon to set up a historic all-Asian World Cup quarterfinal.

Kim Young-Gwon equalised before halftime, and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan timed his run to score the third and final goal in that 2-1 win. After the match, participants watched Uruguay's 2-0 win over Ghana, which wasn't enough to qualify for the last 16.

Uruguay and Portugal, albeit a substantially changed one, failed to upset South Korea, who may meet Japan in the quarterfinals. Their fellow Asians face a challenging last-16 match against Croatia on Monday. In June, the Tigers of Asia lost 5-1 to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup semi-finals, despite officiating controversy.

Kick off: 12:30 AM IST, 8:00 PM CET

Current form

Brazil World Cup form:WWL

Brazil form (all competitions):WWWWWL

South Korea World Cup form:DLW

South Korea form (all competitions):DWWDLW

Players to watch

Casemiro (Brazil) 

The Manchester United midfielder helped Brazil dominate the FIFA World Cup 2022. Brazil's second-string team lost the group stage. Casemiro's return has strengthened South America's World Cup chances.

The former Madrid midfielder is solid. He shielded the back four. His ball handling and distribution have astonished everyone. The 30-year-old is undefeated throughout the tournament. His performance was topped by his world-class volley that earned Brazil the second game and early qualification.

 Son Heung Min (South Korea)

The Korean master's contributions will be critical if his team is to advance to the next round of the tournament. Recent injuries have hampered his play, but he continues to give his all for the team and poses a significant threat to the Portuguese squad. He is a leader who is deadly in front of the net. The South Koreans are counting on him to win or lose for them in this crucial encounter.

Team news and injury update

Rodrigo Lasmar, the Selecao doctor, has given a positive report on Neymar, who may be able to play against South Korea after recuperating from an ankle injury.

However, Tite lost Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles for the rest of the tournament after both suffered knee injuries against Cameroon. The former was likely to be replaced by Richarlison.

Telles's absence and Alex Sandro's hip injury have left Tite short at left-back, but Danilo is recovering from an ankle sprain and might play there with Eder Militao on the right.

Hwang had been suffering from hamstring problems throughout the competition until scoring the goal that sent South Korea through, so Lee Jae-sung may be worried about his spot in the team. Kim Min-jae was rested for the Portugal match due to calf pain, while Lee Kang-in and Kim Young-Gwon also suffered injuries and will need a checkup. Both men are expected to play on Monday when talisman Son Heung-min will aim to improve on his one World Cup goal from 13 shots.

Predicted lineup

Brazil predicted lineup:

Alisson; Militao, Marquinhos, Silva, Danilo; Paqueta, Casemiro, Neymar; Raphinha, Richarlison, Vinicius Jr

South Korea predicted lineup:

Seung-gyu; Moon-hwan, Min-jae, Young-gwon, Jin-su; In-beom, Woo-young; Hee-chan, Kang-in, Heung-min; Gue-sung

Match Prediction

South Korea can break down a damaged Brazil backline with goal threats in all areas, and Son and Hwang will be salivating after seeing Selecao's full-back injury issues.

Brazil's loss to Cameroon was a shock, but Tite will welcome back a lot of first-team stars and might have Neymar from the start, so we still expect the Selecao's extensive attacking options to propel the five-time champions into the final eight and kill the South Korean dream.

Prediction: Brazil 2-1 South Korea