The AFC U23 Championships has had a slow start with limited interest in Korea so far, but this game maybe be more interesting than the opener. South Korea take on Syria on Sunday evening in the 2nd group match. Squads, Preview and Prediction below;
Squads for South Korea U23 v Syria U23
Before we start here are the squads for both South Korea & Vietnam;
The South Korea squad is mainly domestically based with only 2 players playing overseas. 2 of the squad are University players with the rest in the K League Classic or Challenge. 2017 K League Champions Jeonbuk Hyundai provide 3 players.
A handful of the Syria squad play outside of their home country, however none play in Europe. Forward Muhtadi is maybe their key striking option.
Preview & Prediction for South Korea U23 v Syria U23
2018 AFC U-23 Championship – Group Stage
Kick Off: 8.30pm Sunday January 14th
South Korea U23 v Syria U23
South Korea won their opening game but had to come back from behind to defeat Vietnam 2-1. Korea also had a poor penalty saved. Syria however lost their opening game 3-1 against a strong Australian side. Overall coming into this game both sides need to improve.
South Korea will be the clear favorites and will likely control the pace of the game. Syria cannot afford to lose, but a draw might not be enough. We see a cagey start will goals either side of half time giving Korea the win heading into the final group stage games next week.
Prediction: South Korea U23 2-0 Syria U23
Result & Highlights
South Korea U23 0-0 Syria U23
A strong defensive performance from Syria who failed to register a shot on target but gained a valuable point. Korea had chances to win but now head into their final game knowing that a draw will be enough to progress.
highlights:
Finally
All of the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship games (at least the games with South Korea) will be shown on JTBC3 & Naver Sports.
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