Iraq will continue to search for their first victory of the World Cup 2022 qualifying group process on Tuesday when they host South Korea.
The visitors are undefeated in the first five games, but they find themselves trailing table-toppers Iran by two points.
Match preview
© Reuters
Iraq have failed to win a game so far in Group A, which is why they find themselves in the bottom half of the table after the opening five matches.
However, there has only been one defeat across that time, with four draws taking place, showcasing the resistance that the squad have within them, as they fight for every result.
Iraq have only managed to score three goals so far and considering they are coming up against a strong defensive outfit that have only conceded twice in this group, that is going to be another test for them.
Dick Advocaat's team fought back from behind on Thursday in order to take a point against Syria, with an 86th-minute penalty from Amir Al-Ammari securing that.
The points were split the last time the two nations met, which ended up being a goalless draw, despite the fact that South Korea dominated the game with 69% of the possession.
© Reuters
However, that match is only the second time that South Korea have not won within Group A so far, with the squad having made an undefeated start to their qualifying campaign.
Despite the impressive performances, they currently trail Iran by two points, placing additional pressure onto this fixture, as they have the chance to potentially go top depending on other results.
Hwang Hee-chan found the back of the net on Thursday from the penalty spot, which proved to be enough to secure a 1-0 victory against United Arab Emirates, extending their unbeaten run to eight games.
Paulo Bento's team have kept three clean sheets so far overall in the group stage, which is something that has helped them be difficult to break down throughout the competition so far.
- D
- L
- D
- D
- D
- L
- D
- L
- D
- D
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
After coming off the bench to find the back of the net, Al-Ammari could have done enough to have earned the opportunity to start this time around.
Iraq played with five at the back during their last outing and that is something that could continue on Tuesday in order to combat the attacking qualities that their opponents possess.
South Korea have several great offensive options, with Hee-chan having already scored within this particular international break, which is something he will be keen to continue.
After keeping a clean sheet and earning three points in their last outing, there is a chance that Bento will look to name the same starting lineup in order to build consistency.
Iraq possible starting lineup:
Talib; Putros, Nadhim, Khalaf, Sulaka, Jeahze; Attwan, Fadel, Al-Ammari; Rasan, Al-Hamadi
South Korea possible starting lineup:
Kim; Kwon, M. Kim, J. Kim, Lee; Hwang, Jung; Son, Lee, Hwang; Cho
We say: Iraq 0-2 South Korea
South Korea have strong attacking options and with their defensive capabilities as well, they should be able to keep Iraq quiet throughout the match.
The hosts have yet to win a game in the competition either, and this is going to be a difficult fixture for them to try and break that record.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a South Korea win with a probability of 39.39%. A win for Iraq had a probability of 31.43% and a draw had a probability of 29.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a South Korea win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.21%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.81%) and 0-2 (7.72%). The likeliest Iraq win was 1-0 (11.43%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.36%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that South Korea would win this match.
Iran
Kyrgyzstan
North Korea
Qatar
UAE
Uzbekistan
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Oman
Palestine
South Korea
Australia
Bahrain
China
Indonesia
Japan
Saudi Arabia
