Korea Republic vs Egypt

Seoul World Cup Stadium plays host to an exciting inter-confederation friendly between the Korea Republic and Egypt.

It’s been tough for South Korea lately, as they head into proceedings having won just once in their last four outings (D1, L2). Yet, they came from a 2-0 down to hold Paraguay to a 2-2 draw last time out, showing the fighting spirit that qualified them for the upcoming World Cup. The ‘Taegeuk Warriors’ may need another stubborn performance if they are to avenge a 1-0 friendly defeat in their only previous meeting with Egypt back in 2005. Playing in Seoul should come in handy as Paulo Bento’s men have picked up six victories in their last eight home internationals (D1, L1), four of which saw them keep a clean sheet.

In the meantime, since suffering a penalty shoot-out heartbreak in the Africa Cup of Nations grand final against Senegal, Egypt have alternated between victories (2) and defeats (2) across their subsequent four internationals. All four matches (won/lost) in that sequence saw the winner keep a clean sheet, highlighting the importance of a flying start. Worryingly, though, excluding their AFCON campaign in February, the ‘Pharaohs’ have lost three of their last four games held on foreign soil (D1), failing to get on the scoresheet in each defeat. Since none of those four fixtures have featured over 2.5 goals, this could be another tepid affair.