Game 17 Preview: Russia vs. South Korea

RUSSIA vs. SOUTH KOREA

 Date: June 17, 2014

Time: 6:00 p.m. EDT

Venue: Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba

Overall Head-to-Head Record (W-L-T): 1-0-0 Russia

Last Match: 2013 Friendly. Russia def. South Korea 2-1.

Line: Russia -110

Group H Preview here.

Starting Lineups posted separately once they're announced.

Team Profiles 

World Ranking: Russia (19th), South Korea (57th)

Managers: Fabio Capello (RUS), Hong Myung-Bo (KOR)

Captains: Vasili Berezutskiy (RUS), Koo Ja-Cheol (KOR)

World Cup Appearances: 10 (RUS), 9 (KOR)

Best Finish: Russia (Fourth Place, 1966), South Korea (Fourth Place, 2002)

Qualifying Records: Russia (7-2-1, GF: 20, GA: 5), South Korea (8-3-3, GF: 27, GA: 11)

Pre-Tournament Game Results

Russia

May 26th - Russia def. Slovakia 1-0
May 31st - Russia tied Norway 1-1
June 6th - Russia def. Morocco 2-0

South Korea

May 28th - Tunisia def. South Korea 1-0
June 9th - Ghana def. South Korea 4-0

Rosters

Injuries/Discipline

Russia: N/A

South Korea: N/A

Overview

Perennial qualifiers South Korea open their tournament off against a Russian squad that hasn't been to the World Cup since 2002 and hasn't advanced out of the group stage since they were competing as the Soviet Union.

It's a classic matchup of contrasting styles. Russia under Fabio Capello have employed a 4-2-3-1 formation and while capable of piling on goals against lesser competition they occasionally struggle to do so against the class of the world. They are a big team though, particularly on the back end and are not afraid to use their size to gain an advantage.

Similar stylistically to Japan, South Korea love to pass the ball around and use quickness to attack an opponent's defensive line. Lacking in the star power that their neighbours have though, it's another team that can struggle in the offensive end. They're also weak in the defensive end, having surrendered an average of 2 goals per game in the 2010 World Cup and coming in to this game fresh off a 4-0 drubbing by Ghana in their final pre-tournament contest.

Personnel

In the Russian Third: Classic matchup of skill and quickness against size and field awareness. Korea will look to find holes in the Russian line and pass their way inside for chances on goal though. This is a Korean team lacking a lot of the skill up front they've had in previous years though against a huge Russian line. Advantage: Russia

In the Midfield: Similar stylistic matchup in a game that's likely to spend a ton of time in this section of the pitch. Russia will rue not having Shirokov in the centre of the pitch as a facilitator. This game is likely to be crawling which favours Russia but that doesn't mean they'll be able to advance the ball out of the middle of the pitch. Advantage: Even

In the Korean Third: The Korean defence struggles mightily with offensive fronts that use speed and height to defeat them. Russia only brings one of those assets to the table. Russia will look for crosses in to the area to find Kerzhakov and others for headers. They lack a lot of the technical ability required to break down Korea who should be able to effectively repel most of the slow-developing Russian attacks. Advantage: Even

Goalkeeping: It was a poor outing in 2010 for Jung Sung-Ryong who squares off with Igor Akinfeev, the undisputed top goalkeeper in Russia the past 5-10 years who is still in his prime at 28. Advantage: Russia

Russia will win if:

Their central midfield, particularly Dzagoev is able to use his creativity to free up holes in the Korean line. Korea can crumble defensively under quick ball movement around their area. Unfortunately that isn't Russia's strong suit particularly without Shirokov to assist. Russia can't be statues passing the ball around the outside against Korea and relying on a 1-0 win.

South Korea will win if:

They can get some sustained possession in the Russian third and are able to navigate their way in to the penalty area without turning the ball over. There's a number of problems with this Korean squad but look no further then having only scored in 2 of 6 games in 2014 as the biggest one. Russia is a top defensive team in this tournament and their size gives Korea a problem. They can't settle for outside shots though as barring a miracle, Akinfeev will stop those all day.

Prediction

Slloooowwww game to end off the day. Not impressed stylistically by either team and while Korea does have some flare to their play, Russia is perfectly suited to stifling their creativity and chances towards goal. I think Russia's height up front accounts for at least 1 goal and that's all they need.

Russia 1-0 South Korea