Sports Mole previews Tuesday's international friendly between South Korea and Paraguay, including predictions, team news and possible line-ups.
Looking to get back on track and prepare for 2026 world cup, South Korea will welcome Paraguay Tuesday to the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Taichi Warriors will be looking to put their latest defeat in the past, while Guaraní will aim to make it four games unbeaten into midweek.
Game preview
Hong MingfuThe South Korean team ranked first in Group B in the third round of the AFC Champions League and directly qualified for the World Cup.
Next summer could be the legendary striker's last World Cup Sun XingminThe Tai Chi Warriors will be eager to put together a memorable performance in North America, having last reached the Round of 16 in 2002 when they were co-hosts.
However, Hong's side have won just one of their last four games, 2-0 win over Team USA On September 6, Son Heung-min performed very well in the first half. He opened the scoring and assisted the second goal.
recent, South Korea lost 5-0 go through Carlo AncelottiThe Brazilian team's results and performance are particularly worrying for fans, because the Asian Tigers only had one shot on target compared to the Selecao's seven, and their expected goals were 0.15 compared to their opponents' three.
Tuesday's hosts will be keen to regain momentum in their World Cup campaign, but given they have lost their last two home games – both without a goal – they will need to challenge their form on their own turf to do so.
at the same time, Gustavo Julio AlfaroParaguay reached the World Cup finals for the first time since the iconic 2010 World Cup in South Africa and have continued their strong form in the competition since then.
The Guarani team ranks sixth in the CONMEBOL standings with 7 wins, 7 draws and only 4 losses. It is tied for the second-fewest among qualifying countries and is 8 points ahead of seventh-placed Bolivia for the playoff spot.
The impressive resilience of the Alfaro men's team can also be seen in the fact that they have lost just once in 13 games since July 2024, a commendable period marred only by narrow margins. Lost to Selecao 0-1 Back in June this year.
After that defeat, Paraguay kept clean sheets 0-0 draw with Ecuador and a Won 1-0 away against Peru,Before 2-2 draw with Japan La Albirroja took the lead twice in Friday's game.
With Los Guaranes having tasted just one defeat in their last seven away games and hoping to maintain the form that has brought them success so far, they will feel capable of another positive result, although with just one win in that period they may lack the firepower to ensure Tuesday's game is anything but a stalemate.
South Korea International Friendly Match Format:
Korean format (all competitions):
Paraguay International Friendly Match Format:
Paraguay format (all competitions):
Team News
South Korea will be keen to make amends for their last defeat, with Son Heung-min likely to be in Li Qiangren and Li Zaicheng from the outside.
In the center of the park, Huang Renfan May be a partner Bai Chenghaoalthough Cao Youmin, Kim Min Jae And Kim Joo-sung will likely start a back three, flanked by full-backs Seol Young-woo and Lee Tae-seok.
As for Paraguay, Gustavo Gomez and Omar Alderet should continue in the middle half while Fabian Balbuena He is expected to be sidelined until December due to a broken ankle.
elsewhere, Diego Gonzalez and Miguel Almiron May line up on the wing to provide support for the forwards Antonio Sanabria In the absence of players like a center Isidro Pita and wingers Ramon Sosaboth were sidelined due to thigh injuries.
In the middle third, Alfaro can tell Damien Bobadilla and Andres Cubas In a double pivot, Diego Gomez Set up in front of them, playing as an attacking midfielder behind the front line.
Possible starting lineup for South Korea:
H Cho; Seol, Cho, M Kim, J Kim, T Lee; K Lee, Hwang, Paik, J Lee; sons
Paraguay's likely starting lineup:
Fernandez; Cáceres, Gomez, Alderete, Alonso; Cuban Bobadilla; Gonzalez, D. Gomez, Almiron; Sanabria
We say: South Korea 1-1 Paraguay
South Korea will be eager to bounce back from a 5-0 defeat to Brazil in front of their home fans, so expect to see a determined performance.
However, with Paraguay proving their resilience both at home and away, the hosts may be forced to settle for a draw on Tuesday.
For a breakdown of the game's most likely outcomes, scores and more, click here.
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