Group B winners South Korea go head-to-head with Group A runners-up Mexico in the quarter-finals of the men’s football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
Mexico registered two wins and one loss during the group stage, finishing three points behind first-place Japan and three points ahead of third-place France.
#Olympic | Step by step. 💪🏼It was a good day in Sapporo. 😁🇲🇽💚 #Tokyo2020 | #FMFporNuestroFútbol pic.twitter.com/312Ot1KTVJ— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) July 28, 2021
#Olympic | Step by step. 💪🏼It was a good day in Sapporo. 😁🇲🇽💚 #Tokyo2020 | #FMFporNuestroFútbol pic.twitter.com/312Ot1KTVJ
Over in Group B, South Korea also picked up two wins and one loss, although they ended finishing two points clear of second-place New Zealand.
The South Koreans kicked off their Tokyo 2020 campaign in the worst way possible, suffering a 1-0 defeat to New Zealand.
However, they bounced back on style in their next two games. After beating Romania 4-0, South Korea hammered Honduras 6-0.
Not only are South Korea the highest scorers at the Olympic Games, but they also boast the joint-best defensive record in the competition.
Hwang Ui-Jo and Lee Kang-In both scored three goals across South Korea’s opening three matches, underlining their importance to the side.
As for the Mexicans, they claimed a resounding 4-1 victory over France on Matchday 1, with Alexis Vega chalking up a goal and an assist.
They were then beaten 2-1 by Japan in their next outing, despite enjoying 60% possession and recording six shots on target.
Mexico bounced back on Matchday 3, however, notching a dominant 3-0 win over South Africa. Once again, Vega got on the scoresheet.
Along with Vega’s two goals and one assist at Tokyo 2020, Uriel Antuna has also chipped in with one goal and one assist.
Head-to-head: South Korea and Mexico have faced each other five times at the Olympics over the years, and the South Koreans remain unbeaten.
South Korea claimed a 1-0 victory over Mexico at Rio 2016, meaning they have claimed three wins and two draws against Mexico at the Games.
Team news: Following two high-scoring victories, South Korea coach Kim Hak-Bum isn’t likely to shake up his starting XI too much for Saturday’s quarter-final.
On the flip side, Mexico boss Lozano Espin Jaime Arturo will be without Vasquez Johan, who picked up a red card in the previous game.
Having secured a couple of massive wins across their previous two games, South Korea arguably have the edge over Mexio.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that South Korea will net over 1.5 goals en route to dispatching the Mexicans. A clean sheet is on the cards, too.