Uruguay vs South Korea preview: How to stream, start time, predictions and latest news ahead of World Cup Group H clash

Uruguay and South Korea played to a scoreless draw Thursday.

Group H is the last to get underway at the Qatar World Cup when Uruguay and South Korea face off on Thursday, November 24.

It is the second game of the tournament to be played at Doha’s Education City Stadium and will kick off at 13:00 GMT (08:00 EST, 10:00 UYT & 22:00 KST).

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BBC One will be showing the match in the UK while FS1 and Telemundo have the rights to the game in the US. SBS, KBS and MBC have the rights to the World Cup in South Korea with Canal dominating the coverage in Uruguay alongside TyC Sports, ANTEL and Teledoce.

Clement Turpin is the referee for this game. The Frenchman has real pedigree as a match official having refereed at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020. In the last couple of years, he has also been trusted with the 2021 Europa League final and the 2022 Champions League final.

Team news

Uruguay seem to have an ideal mix of youth and experience in their World Cup squad. Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez will be appearing at their fourth tournaments with Darwin Nunez and Facundo Pellistri preparing for their first.

Behind them, in the engine room, will be the dynamic, in-form midfield pair Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Ronald Araujo has been included in the squad but, given his recent injury, it is unclear how much of a part he will play during the group stage.

All eyes from around the world have been on Son Heung-min over the last few weeks after he picked up a facial injury for Tottenham. But, equipped with a mask and his typical beaming smile, South Korea’s hopes rest on his shoulders once again.

In defence, Napoli’s Kim Min-jae will be trusted at the other end following his excellent form in Italy this season.

Predicted line-ups

Uruguay (4-3-3): Rochet, Varela, Gimenez, Coates, Olivera; Vecino, Bentancur, Valverde; de Arrascaeta, Suarez, Nunez.

South Korea (4-2-3-1): Kim [Seung-gyu], Kim [Moon-hwan], [Min-jae] Kim, Kim [Young-gwon], Kim [Jin-su]; [Jun-ho] Son, [In-beom] Hwang; Lee, Woo-yeong, [Hee-chan] Hwang; Son [Heung-min].

What’s at stake?

There is an expectation that Uruguay and Portugal will be competing for top spot in Group H so it is vital that the former get off to a strong start.

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While South Korea shouldn’t be underestimated, this is a game the South Americans should be winning if their ambitions of a run to the latter stages are to be achieved.

With star man Son entering the unknown of playing wearing a mask on his face, there probably won’t be a better time to face South Korea so Uruguay must take full advantage, otherwise they could staring down the barrel of an early exit.

Prediction

Uruguay to beat South Korea.

Uruguay to win: 48%. South Korea to win: 25%. Draw: 27%.

Expert opinion

The wait for Group H is over as Uruguay and South Korea kick-off get things under way at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, before Portugal play Ghana a few hours later.

Diego Alonso’s Uruguay continues to be led by its established attacking threat of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, but the likes of in-form Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde and Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez show the quality at their disposal.

As for South Korea, it will be all eyes on their talisman. Son Heung-min is set to start their opening game, despite undergoing surgery on a fracture around his left earlier earlier this month.

In an even group, it won’t be lost on either country how important a solid start could be. Let’s find out how it goes!

Michael Bailey

Reason to watch

Suarez and Nunez are likely to provide a sensational combination of chaos and quality in attack for Uruguay, while the men behind them in midfield are in scintillating form.

You will be hard pushed to find a more in-form pairing than Valverde and Bentancur, who have been seriously impressive for Real Madrid and Tottenham respectively this season.

If Son does play, he also provides a fascinating edge. He is yet to have been able to find his best form at the previous World Cups he has been involved in and is running out of time to impress on the global stage.

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Wider reading

With both squads containing some of Europe’s best players, you are never far away from a feature written about players from Uruguay and South Korea. You can find a couple of those below.

Follow the latest Qatar World Cup news, analysis, tables, fixtures and more here.

(Top Photo: Getty Images)