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On June 18, Sunday, the third match of Group G of the World Cup will take place, where France and South Korea will meet. The tournament started much better for the Asian representatives as they won against Togo with a score of 2-1, while the favorites "Les Bleus" played a draw against Switzerland.
Group G:
France - South Korea
Location: Zentralstadion, Leipzig, 43000 seats
Time: June 18, 22:00 Lithuanian time
Referee: Archundia Benito (Mexico)
Previous Matches:
The teams have met twice before, and France celebrated victories in both matches. In 2001 during the FIFA Confederations Cup, France beat South Korea with a score of 5-0, and a year later, they again defeated the Asian representatives by a one-goal difference with a score of 3-2.
France
FIFA Ranking: 8th place
It seems that the curse of 2002, when France did not win a single game in the World Cup and got eliminated after the first round, still haunts the team. On June 13, in the second match of Group G, France failed to beat the underdog Swiss team, playing on equal terms with their neighbors. Interestingly, this was already the fourth World Cup match for France where they failed to score a goal. They have an opportunity to break this streak in Sunday's match against the Koreans, although it won't be an easy game, considering that South Korea is not an easy opponent to play against. Based on the first match, it is clear that not all French players are in their best form, as some of them made mistakes against the Swiss.
South Korea
FIFA Ranking: 29th place
The tournament started much better for this team than for their opponents - the French team. South Korea managed to defeat Togo with a score of 2-1, earning three points and topping the Group G table, leading their closest competitors, France and Switzerland, by two points. On Sunday, the Koreans will have a great chance to further distance themselves from their rivals, especially since they will face the French team, which has been struggling in recent World Cups.
Opinions:
France:
"We will have to put in a lot of effort to properly oppose our opponents," said French coach Raymond Domenech.
"It won't be an easy game, but we have to win. They are not a defensive team like Switzerland and should give us more freedom on the field," said forward Thierry Henry.
South Korea:
"Basically, if they play as they can, then we can have a lot of difficulties," reasoned South Korean coach Dick Advocaat.
"Unfortunately, the French are not having their best days, unlike us."
"Everyone expects the French to win, so we have nothing to worry about. They just need to come and play as they know how."
Predicted Lineups:
France: Barthez, Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal, Vieira, Makelele, Malouda, Zidane, Saha, Henry.
South Korea: Woon-jae, Chong-gug, Jin-cheul, Jin-kyu, Young-pyo, Ji-sung, Lee Ho, Eul-yong, Chun-soo, Jung-hwan, Ki-hyeon.
Verdict:
Based on everything, we should expect a truly interesting and intriguing match, as both of these teams need the points badly: the Koreans - to remain in the top spot of Group G, and the French - to break their losing streak and distance themselves from the Swiss, who are also with just one point in the third spot.
