Korea Republic vs Bahrain
Jurgen Klinsmann is set to make his bow for South Korea in a major competition when they commence their AFC Asian Cup campaign against Bahrain on Monday in Doha, Qatar.
Because the Taeguk Warriors head into this tournament as one of the favourites to win it all, naturally, almost all eyes are going to be on the German head coach to see how he can lead his new team to glory with the smorgasbord of talent that he has at his disposal.
South Korea are batched with Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain in a fairly stacked Group E of this competition.
Compared to South Korea, Bahrain are not under immense pressure to make it far in this tournament despite exceeding expectations in 2019. So basically, this is a classic David vs. Goliath matchup.
Talking Points
South Korea to go full force
After going winless in his first five matches in charge, Jurgen Klinsmann has finally gotten South Korea over the hump with six consecutive wins in all competitions.
In the three international friendlies after the goalless draw against Wales, South Korea scored a whopping 11 goals against Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Vietnam while conceding none on the other end, an indicator that the team has adapted to Klinsmann’s tactics.
Their momentum continued in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers as they pummeled Singapore 5-0 and China 3-0 in the second round. And just last week, they eked out a 1-0 win against Iraq in an international friendly.
As usual, Heung-Min Son will be the main focus of the Taeguk Warriors’ aspirations to break their AFC Asian Cup duck, but the team no longer needs to be overly dependent on him since he has a stronger supporting cast this time.
At the back they have Kim Min-Jae, who continues to break barriers at Bayern Munich. Nicknamed “The Beast,” the 27-year-old centre-back will be the rock at the heart of their defence.
And then there’s Hwang Hee-Chan and Lee Kang-In, who will add to South Korea’s firepower. Hwang is having a resurgent season with Wolves in the Premier League this season, while Lee is already a popular figure at PSG.
Huge defencive blow for Bahrain
As if Bahrain’s defence does not have enough problems already, they are faced with the unfortunate AFC Asian Cup 2024 news that one of their key defenders is sidelined ahead of this contest.
Ahmed Bughammar recently had to leave the national team’s training camp in Dubai after he aggravated his back injury. The Al-Khaldiya defender was once touted as one of Bahrain’s brightest young talents, so he is a big loss.
Compared to South Korea, Bahrain’s have had a mixed bag of results heading into this tournament.
After beating Yemen 2-0 during the second round of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, the Pearl Divers have lost back-to-back against the UAE and Australia with the same exact scoreline.
History
South Korea are one of the most decorated nations in the AFC Asian Cup, with two golds, four silvers, and four bronzes, although they haven’t won this tournament since 1960.
In contrast, Bahrain never had a podium finish in this competition. But to their credit, since finishing fourth in 2004, they have qualified for this tournament for the sixth time in a row.
These two nations last squared off in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16, where South Korea defeated Bahrain 2-1. Hwang Hee-Chan and Mohamed Al-Romaihi exchanged goals, and it took a stoppage time winner by Kim Jin-Su to send the South Koreans to the next round.
After dispatching the Pearl Divers, the Taeguk Warriors eventually lost 1-0 to Qatar in the quarter-finals. Qatar went on to beat the UAE and Japan to claim their first AFC Asian Cup gold medal in national team history.
Betting Tip
The SBOTOP AFC Asian Cup 2024 odds have South Korea as the firm favourites to win on Monday, as they are installed at 1.17, while Bahrain are massive 11.00 underdogs, and a draw is at 5.70 odds in the 1X2 market.
A Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Taeguk Warriors – the result of their last AFC Asian Cup meeting – is on offer at 10.50, and that should be considered a good bet for them, as well as Total Goal 2-3 at 1.98.
However, given their talent and Klinsmann’s attack-heavy philosophy, there’s a chance that South Korea will pour in goals in this contest, making bets like Total Goal 4-6 at 2.79 and Over 3.00 at 2.11 viable.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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