Asian Qualifier: South Korea vs Iran
At 19:00 Beijing time on March 24, 2022, the World Preliminary Asian Qualifiers Play-off Group A, South Korea will play against Iran. The South Korean team is currently ranked 29th in time, while in the Asian division it is a first-class team, and many players in the team have played in Europe, such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), Hwang Yi-joo (Bordeaux) and other players. The South Korean team has performed well in this year's Round of 12, with an unbeaten record of 6 wins and 2 draws in 8 matches, and is currently ranked 2nd in Group A with 20 points, with a gap of 2 points with Iran at the top of the table. Judging from the current Points of Group A, the South Korean team has basically determined to win the World Cup because it is 13 points ahead of the 3rd place UAE.
The South Korean team announced the 25-man roster early on March 14, of which Sun Heung-min, Hwang Yoe-joo and Lee Jae-sung and other european seniors were all selected, and Suwon FC defender Park Myung-woo was called up for the national team for the first time. The specific list is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-kyu (Pak Sun God), Song Fan-geun (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Dong-joon (Jeju United);
Defenders: Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Kim Hyun-hyun (Fenerbahce), Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Park Ji-so (Kim Ion Sang-mo), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Park Hyun-kyu (Suwon FC), Kim Jin-so (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Yoon Jong-kyu (Seoul FC), Lee Jae-il (Seoul Ioi);
Midfielders: Jeong Yoo-young (Freiburg), Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), Kwon So-hoon (Suwon Samsung), Jeong Heung-young (Al Sad), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Roh Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Kim Jin-gyu (Busan Ipark);
Forwards: Cao Guicheng (Shomu Kim Izumi), Hwang Yoshisuke (Bordeaux).
Iran is currently ranked 21st in the world and is an established Asian powerhouse, with many players playing overseas, such as strikers Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen), Taremi (Porto), Jahanbachsh (Feyenoord) and other players. Although the Iranian team has slipped some numbers during the Round of 40, after entering the round of 12, the team has achieved an unbeaten record of 7 wins and 1 draw, which can be said to be a continuous victory, currently leading Group A with 22 points, and the team has obtained the World Cup ticket in advance, which is debatable in terms of war intention.
Iran announced the big list for the current issue on March 21, in which forwards Jahanbash, Taremi and midfielder Gudos were in poor health and feared that they would not be able to make the appearance, while Ezatorahi and Muharami were suspended due to card eating, although they also went out with the team, but they could only be spectators. According to the current team lineup, the strength of the Iranian team is still affected to a certain extent.
In terms of past matches between the two teams, south Korea has played against Iran in the past 10 regular matches, achieving a winless record of 5 draws and 5 losses, and the past performance is obviously inferior. In terms of recent conditions, although the South Korean team failed to qualify in advance, from the points points point of view, it basically locked the second place in the group, and it was only a matter of time before it was time to qualify with its strength; the Iranian team had already qualified in advance, and the team was only left with routine, and the war intention was debatable.