Japan vs South Korea
Fierce Asian rivals Japan and South Korea are set to face off for their first international friendly in 10 years when they meet at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.
Both sides have called up a number of new faces for this friendly as they gear up for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
The Taeguk Warriors will be without superstar Son Heung-Min as well as other key forwards, which shifts the international friendly 2021 betting odds more toward the Samurai Blues’ favour.
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down this latest battle between two of Asia’s best.
Talking Points
Japan bring eight new players into the fold
Japan are set to return to action for the first time since November 2020, when they lost a friendly against a strong Mexico side 2-0. However, many of the players who were called up for that match will not take part against South Korea.
Instead, coach Hajime Moriyasu has decided to hand eight players – all of whom play in the J-League – their first international call-ups.
Although, he has included centre-back Maya Yoshida and midfield maestro Takumi Minamino to add some much-needed experience and quality.
Minamino, who is on-loan at Southampton from Liverpool, will join up with the national team after watching Saints reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, to the displeasure of his manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Minamino has scored two goals in four games for the Saints this season. He also has a great strike rate for his country with 12 goals in 26 caps and will be tasked to create Japan’s international friendly 2021 highlights against South Korea.
Yuya Osako is the leading scorer in the side with 15 goals in 46 caps for his country. However, the 30-year-old striker, who plays for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, has not scored a single goal in 14 appearances this season.
Takuma Asano is Moriyasu’s other option to lead the attack. The 26-year-old former Arsenal player has only four international goals in 22 caps, but he is the leading scorer with 19 goals in 33 games for Serbian club Partizan Belgrade this season.
South Korea missing favourite Son, other key forwards
South Korea have been handed a major blow with the absence of captain Son Heung-Min due to a hamstring injury he picked up in their North London derby defeat to Arsenal.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker is a crucial member of coach Paulo Bento’s side. Not only is he the captain and the team’s leading scorer with 26 goals in 89 international caps, but he is also their main creative force in attack.
And to make matters worse, the Taeguk Warriors will also be without two other key forwards in Hwang Ui-jo of Bordeaux and Hwang Hee-chan of RB Leipzig, who were not allowed by their respective clubs to join the national team.
As a result of those absences, Bento’s side will be significantly short on goalscoring ability. Midfielder Nam Tae-hee is the team’s leading scorer with six goals in 48 international caps.
Lee Jeong-hyeop of Gyeongnam FC is South Korea’s only experienced striker on the team with five goals in 24 caps. However, neither he nor 22-year-old Cho Young-wook (who has no caps yet to his name) has scored a single goal this season.
The absence of Son, Lee, and Cho should open up an opportunity for young Lee Kang-in to shine. The 20-year-old has been a regular for Spanish side Valencia this season and has a goal and four assists in 21 appearances.
Meanwhile, Bento may set his side up to play a more defensive style away from home against the Japanese. South Korea has been quite strong on that side of the ball, conceding just 17 goals in 27 games with him in charge.
History
South Korea have had the upper hand over Japan historically. The Taeguk Warriors have a 42-14 edge in terms of wins, with 23 draws. Japan have just two wins in their 11 matches against South Korea in the last 15 years. Their most recent win came in their last international friendly in 2011.
Since then, the two sides have meet four times in the EAFF East Asian Cup, although those tournaments have not featured the countries’ first-choice players. The South Koreans won the last two meetings back in 2017 and 2019.
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