Uruguay vs South Korea: Will Uruguay fire or will they stumble?
Two-time World Cup winners Uruguay take on 2002 hosts South Korea in the first game of Group H, as they meet at the Education City Stadium on Thursday 24 November.
Uruguay
La Celeste have been in fine form since the sacking of Oscar Tabarez last year. Their qualification was in doubt with Tabarez at the helm. Four successive defeats included a disappointing 3-0 loss at notoriously difficult altitude against Bolivia.
This left the inaugural World Cup winners’ qualifcation hopes for Qatar in serious doubt until Diego Alonso took over and turned the tide.
The transformation saw them cruise to impressive wins away to Chile and Paraguay, booking their spot in Qatar with Luis Suarez being the center of all good things on the field.
This will be the first World Cup since 2002 that the Uruguayan national team will be led by a coach other than Óscar Tabárez, who had coached the side for fifteen years.
This is Uruguay’s 14th FIFA World Cup, and their fourth in a row since 2010. It will be only the second time that they have participated in four consecutive World Cups (1962, 1966, 1970, 1974).
South Korea
South Korea, meanwhile, head into the tournament with an under pressure manager and a squad which has underperformed in the lead up.
The return to play of star player Son Heung-min, who will wear a mask after fracturing his eye socket, alleviates some pressure.
Son has stated that he will play under any circumstance, boosting his team’s confidence.
The 2002 hosts will also look to Kim min-Jae, who played in every qualifying game, as an instrumental part of their excellent defence.
After a spell at Fenerbahce, Kim is now doing the same at the top level with a Napoli side dominating both Serie A and the Champions League.
Heung-min Son has been training with South Korea wearing a protective mask pic.twitter.com/xPxo2ulPlm
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Uruguay have been near faultless under Alonso since his appointment a year ago, and with their elite forwards and a solid defence, they should be big favourites here.
The situation surrounding the fitness of Son has dominated South Korea’s preparation, and with him not in top form, there are doubts about their Plan B.
Alonso has repeatedly stated pre-tournament that they are aiming to be world champions, and on current form they cannot be discounted.
South Korea, meanwhile, come into the tournament with an under-fire manager and a squad which has underwhelmed in the build up to Qatar.
The match kicks off at 1pm UK time and will be live on BBC One
