South Korea vs. Sweden Prediction
South Korea and Sweden have both made it far previous years in the World Cup, but are considered longshots to do it this year. Which team will notch the win in their first group stage match to get closer to their goal of surprising prognosticators?
Game Snapshot
97833 South Korea at 97834 Sweden
Monday, June 18, 2018
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium at 8AM ET
TV: FS1
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, Sweden is a -110 favorite to win on the moneyline. South Korea is a +333 underdog, while a draw is set at +201. The total is set at 2 goals.
Sweden plays role of villain
With a strong defensive effort and timely scoring, Sweden did the improbable and knocked out World Cup mainstay Italy by a count of 2-0 during qualifying. Three of the last five friendlies for Sweden have ended in 0-0 ties, which shows the emphasis put this year on being strong in the back end than having an explosive squad.
South Korea
Another team that puts its emphasis on being strong defensively, South Korea will look to pull off the upset here. But it is a team that did not play very well during its last couple qualifiers plus the friendlies leading into the World Cup. Son Heung-min will be the key toward his squad having any chance to advance.
Prediction:
Even though Sweden isn’t a world beater, I can’t see them losing to South Korea. But in my view, this could easily be a 0-0 or 1-1 draw. There isn’t enough to separate Sweden from its opponent and I think the best bet here is a draw, because both teams are going to struggle to score goals and we might be lucky to see even one.
WORLD CUP DAILY PREDICTION: SOUTH KOREA/SWEDEN DRAW +201