Malaysia FC are hoping to at least earn a single win in the Asian Cup, as they face South Korea FC, who already earned last 16 qualification. In the group standings, although these two teams are next to each other, they have a huge point difference. Malaysia is at the bottom of their group, which is somehow expected since they remain to be winless here. Meanwhile, South Korea is a team who already qualified in the next round, after earning four points in their campaign. Malaysia and South Korea already played 47 matches across all contests. It is not surprising that South Korea has more wins compared to Malaysia, having 31 wins, while the latter only have seven wins. The meeting between these two teams is on January 25, 2024, at 7:30 PM (GMT+8).
Malaysia FC
Photo courtesy of Bernama
Malaysia, despite being in good form and unbeaten in three matches, has suffered a setback at the Asian Cup. Their defensive performance was sharper than in their opening game against Jordan, and they conceded in the fifth minute of stoppage time. After Thursday, Kim Pan-gon can focus on 2026 World Cup qualifying, where they lead their group with maximum points from their first two fixtures. Harimau Malaya has not won an Asian Cup group fixture since 1980, and Malaysia has not scored in five Asian Cup group fixtures this century. They have not defeated South Korea since 1985, and are no longer in contention to qualify for the knockout stage. They will aim to open their goalscoring account before heading home from the competition.
Malaysia made four changes to their opening lineup, replacing Junior Eldstal, Afiq Fazail, Darren Lok, and Romel Morales. Natxo Insa and Morales made their second appearances, and captain Matthew Davies is one cap away from 50.
South Korea FC
South Korea secured a single point on matchday two with an own-goal in stoppage time, allowing them to advance into the next round. They are currently a point ahead of Bahrain for second place and facing Malaysia, who are 107 places below their #23 ranking. South Korea’s goal differential of +2 indicates a good chance they will secure one of the four third-place spots even if they lose this match. Jurgen Klinsmann’s team is on a 10-match unbeaten run and has not lost an Asian Cup group game since 2007. However, they have not been as sharp defensively, conceding more goals in the group phase than in their nine previous matches. If Jordan defeats Bahrain in their final group fixture, it would mark the first time the Tigers of Asia have failed to win their group since 2011.
South Korea’s Kim Seung-gyu is out for the tournament due to a torn ACL, with Jo Hyeon-woo replacing him. Kim Young-gwon has 105 caps for the national team. Son Heung-min scored the 42nd penalty, but Jordan scored an own goal in the second half.
Prediction:
South Korea (1.5)
Odds: -0.89
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