© EuroFootball.com
On Friday, June 23, the final match of Group G of the World Cup will take place, where Switzerland and South Korea will meet. Both teams have the same number of victories and draws (one win, one draw), but due to a better goal difference, Switzerland currently holds the first place in the group and has a better chance of advancing to the next stage.
Group G
Switzerland - South Korea
Location: AWD Arena, Hanover, 46000 seats
Time: June 23, 22:00 Lithuanian time
Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
(Live broadcast on LTV)
Head-to-head
These two teams have never met before. Switzerland will play against opponents from Asia for the first time in history, while the Koreans have played 17 times against European teams and won three times, all during the 2002 World Cup.
Switzerland
FIFA ranking: 35th place
Switzerland started the tournament impressively, achieving unexpected draws against the French with a score of 0-0 and a victory against tournament debutants Togo with a score of 2-0. The Swiss team and their fans probably did not expect such results. Currently, Switzerland has four points and holds the first place in the group. However, even after two rounds, the situation in the group is still very confusing, as all teams, except Togo, still have a chance to advance to the round of 16. Therefore, in order to secure a spot among the sixteen strongest teams of the tournament, Switzerland needs at least a minimal victory to ensure progression to the next stage.
South Korea
FIFA ranking: 29th place
The results of the Koreans in this tournament are identical to those of the Swiss, with a victory against Togo with a score of 2-1 and a draw against the French with a score of 1-1. This Asian team also has four points, but due to a worse goal difference, they currently hold the second place in the group. The final distribution of the table will depend largely on the meeting between France and Togo. If the French play a draw or lose, everything will be clear, and both South Korea and Switzerland will advance to the next stage. However, if the French manage to beat the Africans by a large margin, then a draw for the Koreans against the Swiss would not be enough to advance to the next stage, making a victory a necessity.
Opinions
Switzerland
"All our efforts and work with this team were aimed at the 2008 European Championship. I actually thought that participating in the World Cup was still quite early for them, but it seems that I was wrong," - coach Kobi Kuhnas praised his team.
"All I want from my players now are three points that would secure our ticket to the round of 16."
"We always go out to win and try to play attacking football, if we succeed."
"Even if the match ends in a draw, I will still be very happy."
South Korea
"Koreans have never managed to finish first in the group, so we can do it for the first time," South Korea's coach Dick Advocaat said.
"The only problem is that we have to play against such a good team as Switzerland."
"The difference between our team and the Swiss team is that 10 out of their 11 players play in the top European leagues."
"But if we play like we are now, work as a team, then we can achieve a good result."
"There is no reason why we couldn't finish first in the group," goalkeeper Park Ji-Sung said.
"If we play like we did during the 2002 championship, who knows what might happen?."
Predicted lineups
Switzerland: Pascal Zuberbuhler; Ludovic Magnin, Philippe Senderos, Patrick Mueller, Philipp Degen; Raphael Wicky, Johann Vogel, Ricardo Cabanas, Tranquillo Barnetta; Alex Frei, Marco Streller
South Korea: Lee Woon-Jae; Choi Jin-Cheul, Kim Young-Chul, Kim Dong-Jin; Song Chong-Gug, Kim Nam-Il, Lee Ho, Lee Young-Pyo; Park Ji-Sung, Cho Jae-Jin, Seol Ki-Hyeon
