The following is a match centre with betting tips for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F fixture between Sweden and South Korea. The game kicks off on the 18th of June at 10:00 PM AEST. As part of a revised broadcast agreement, this fixture will be broadcast live on SBS.
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Sweden
- FIFA World Rank: 24
- Elo Rating: 20
- Qualifying: Runners up in Group A with a 6-1-3 record in the UEFA Confederation qualification. Defeated Italy 1-0 on aggregate in the UEFA Second Round playoffs.
Squad:
- Coach: Janne Andersson
- Goalkeepers: Robin Olsen (Copenhagen), Karl-Johan Johnsson (Guingamp), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea)
- Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Victor Lindelof (Manchester United), Andreas Granqvist (Krasnador), Martin Olsson (Swansea), Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Filip Helander, Emil Krafth (both Bologna), Pontus Jansson (Leeds United)
- Midfielders: Sebastian Larsson (Hull), Albin Ekdal (Hamburg), Emil Forsberg (RB Leipzig), Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders), Oscar Hiljemark (Genoa), Viktor Claesson (Krasnador), Marcus Rohden (Crotone), Jimmy Durmaz (Toulouse)
- Forwards: Marcus Berg (Al Ain), John Guidetti (Alaves), Ola Toivonen (Toulouse), Isaac Kiese Thelin (Waasland-Beveren)
Recent results:
- Sweden 0 – 0 Peru
09/06/2018
Friendly, played in Sweden - Sweden 0 – 0 Denmark
02/06/2018
Friendly, played in Sweden - Romania 1 – 0 Sweden
27/03/2018
Friendly, played in Romania - Sweden 1 – 2 Chile
24/03/2018
Friendly, played in Sweden - Denmark 0 – 1 Sweden
11/01/2018
Friendly, played in the UAE - Estonia 1 – 1 Sweden
07/01/2018
Friendly, played in the UAE - Italy 0 – 0 Sweden
13/11/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Italy - Sweden 1 – 0 Italy
10/11/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Sweden - Netherlands 2 – 0 Sweden
10/10/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Netherlands - Sweden 8 – 0 Luxembourg
07/10/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Sweden - Belarus 0 – 4 Sweden
03/09/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Belarus - Bulgaria 3 – 2 Sweden
31/08/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Bulgaria
Statistics: (last five years):
- H2H Record: 26-15-19
- O/U record
- O/U 0.5 record: 55-5
- O/U 1.5 record: 43-17
- O/U 2.5 record: 25-35
- O/U 3.5 record: 12-48
- O/U 4.5 record: 7-53
- O/U 5.5 record: 3-57
- Wins
- Total wins: 26
- Won by 1 goal: 10
- Won by 2 goals: 10
- Won by 3 goals: 3
- Won by 4 goals: 2
- Won by 5 goals: 0
- Won by 5+ goals: 1
- Won to nil 17
- Losses
- Total losses: 19
- Lost by 1 goal: 15
- Lost by 2 goals: 3
- Lost by 3 goals: 1
- Lost by 4 goals: 0
- Lost by 5 goals: 0
- Lost by 5+ goals: 0
- Lost to nil 10
- Clean Sheets and BTTS
- Total Games: 60
- Clean Sheets: 22
- Held Scoreless: 15
- Both Teams Scored: 28
South Korea
- FIFA World Rank: 57
- Elo Rating: 37
- Qualifying: Runners up in Group A with a 4-3-3 record in the AFC Third Round.
Squad:
- Coach: Shin Tae-yong
- Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Cho Hyun-woo (Daegu FC)
- Defenders: Kim young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu), Yun Yong-sun (Seongnam FC), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju United), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul),
- Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City), Jung Woo-young (Vissel Kobe), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augsburg), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona), Moon Seon-min (Incheon United)
- Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Hwang Hee-chan (FC Red Bull Salzburg)
Recent results:
- South Korea 0 – 2 Senegal
11/06/2018
Friendly, played in Austria - South Korea 0 – 0 Bolivia
07/06/2018
Friendly, played in Austria - South Korea 1 – 3 Bosnia-Herzegovina
01/06/2018
Friendly, played in South Korea - South Korea 2 – 0 Honduras
28/05/2018
Friendly, played in South Korea - Poland 3 – 2 South Korea
27/03/2018
Friendly, played in Poland - Northern Ireland 2 – 1 South Korea
24/03/2018
Friendly, played in Northern Ireland - Latvia 0 – 1 South Korea
03/02/2018
Friendly, played in Turkey - Jamaica 2 – 2 South Korea
30/01/2018
Friendly, played in Turkey - Moldova 0 – 1 South Korea
27/01/2018
Friendly, played in Turkey - Japan 1 – 4 South Korea
16/12/2017
EAFF Championship, played in Japan - Korea DPR 0 – 1 South Korea
12/12/2017
EAFF Championship, played in Japan - South Korea 2 – 2 China
09/12/2017
EAFF Championship, played in Japan
Statistics: (last five years):
- H2H Record: 38-15-24
- O/U record
- O/U 0.5 record: 68-9
- O/U 1.5 record: 49-28
- O/U 2.5 record: 33-44
- O/U 3.5 record: 21-56
- O/U 4.5 record: 11-66
- O/U 5.5 record: 4-73
- Wins
- Total wins: 38
- Won by 1 goal: 19
- Won by 2 goals: 11
- Won by 3 goals: 5
- Won by 4 goals: 1
- Won by 5 goals: 1
- Won by 5+ goals: 1
- Won to nil 28
- Losses
- Total losses: 24
- Lost by 1 goal: 13
- Lost by 2 goals: 8
- Lost by 3 goals: 0
- Lost by 4 goals: 2
- Lost by 5 goals: 1
- Lost by 5+ goals: 0
- Lost to nil 11
- Clean Sheets and BTTS
- Total Games: 77
- Clean Sheets: 37
- Held Scoreless: 20
- Both Teams Scored: 29
Commentary
Germany’s defeat to Mexico has blown Group F right open. Both Sweden and South Korea will be desperate for 3 points knowing that Mexico is now in a fantastic position while Germany are very capable of still finishing the group stage with 6 points.
Sweden impressed in qualifying by getting through a group that contained France and the Netherlands. They then beat Italy in a two-leg playoff. While Sweden haven’t appeared in the last two World Cups, they have progressed past the group stage in each of their last three World Cup appearances (1994, 2002, 2006). This side is considered to be weaker than previous Swedish World Cup squads, however. Goals have been hard to come by of late, with Sweden failing to score in each of their last three friendlies.
South Korea also appear to have a weaker squad than in previous World Cups, which is a concern given they finished bottom of their group with just 1 point in 2014. There’s not much to speak of in their squad apart from Tottenham forward Son Heung-Min. With a world ranking of 57, South Korea is the clear minnow in this tough group, so the good news is they won’t be burdened by expectations from back home. Their qualifying campaign wasn’t that convincing, it has to be said. South Korea’s goal difference of +1 after 10 games was the lowest of any of the five teams that qualified from the Asian confederation. They enter this tournament with a 1-1-4 record in friendlies since March.
Betting
bet365 odds (subject to change):
Compare the latest bookmaker odds for Sweden vs. South Korea
While Sweden have struggled for goals recently, they take on a Korean side that has conceded at least 2 goals in 7 of their last 10 fixtures. South Korea lost each of their last three fixtures against European teams, conceding 8 goals in the process. I’m not convinced Sweden will progress to the Round of 16, but I do expect them to be too strong in this match-up.
Betting tip: Back Sweden in the head-to-head at 2.08 (Unibet)
Notes
- FIFA World rankings are from the 7th of June and sourced from https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/index.html
- The World Football Elo Ratings are from the 11th of June and are based on the Elo rating system, developed by Dr. Arpad Elo. This system is used by the international chess federation to rate chess players and is considered by many to be a superior rating tool to the one used by FIFA. The ratings have been sourced from https://www.eloratings.net/.
- Squad lists sourced from http://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/11374464/every-world-cup-squad-listed-argentina-brazil-russia-and-more