Venue: Argentina v South Korea in Johannesburg – World Cup Group B Match
Date Thursday, June 17, 2010
Match Time: 1.30pm (local)
Argentina v South Korea Odds: Spain win 2/7; draw 7/2; Switzerland win 7/1.
Key players – Argentina: Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano. South Korea: JI-Sung Park, Park Chu-Young, Lee Woon-Jae.
Tickets: TBA
Livestream: Coming Soon
Predictions:
Alex Michaels: As an Englishman, I always tend to go with my heart when it comes to matches involving the Argies and cheer for anyone they’re playing against, but with Maradona in charge, I can actually go with my head (not hand) as well this time. They may well be handed (yes, pun intended) an easy opener but as much as I admire the talents of Messi, I just can’t see him pulling the team alone and hope he won’t hand their joke of a coach even more legendary status in his home land. They may well get through the group stages, just, but I don’t think they or Maradona will punch their hefty weight much further.
Ron Patel: Argentina’s psyche heading into the match is determined by how well it does against Nigeria in the opener. It should be a win. Diego Maradona has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal, and while the Nigerians might be able to outmuscle Argentina, the smaller South Koreans won’t have much chance. South Korea will keep the ball on the ground and play nice stuff, but Argentina will batter them. Hmm. 3-0 or 4-0? Let’s go with the latter.
Frank Finnegan: June 17 marks the much-anticipated World Cup managerial debut of Diego Maradona, one of the legendary figures in the event’s history from his playing days. “Hand of God, Brain of Mush” has been used to describe him in this current career stop, of course. He’s a volatile, unpredictable figure that really struggled with his talented squad during qualifying – in fact, Argentina’s qualification was delayed until the very last day of qualifying matches. However, he does have a boatload of talent, including the most common answer to the ‘Best Footballer in the World’ question, Lionel Messi. So, it’s pretty hard to screw that up…right? An added bonus for the Argies with the tournament being held in South Africa is that with the vuvuzela horns drowning out all other manner of sound, perhaps Maradona’s commands will be drowned out as well. While I think that ultimately, Maradona will be Argentina’s downfall when it comes to raising the Cup on July 11, they will be fine for this match. South Korea has the hearts of lions, but that won’t be nearly enough. 3-1 final score.
Greg Neville: South Korea’s performance (semi-finalists) on home soil in 2002 is an aberration. Excluding that Guus Hiddink-led side, the Asians have won just one game at the World Cup tournament (2-1 over Togo 2006). Not even the eccentric Argentina coach Diego Maradona could mess up a blowout here. But the reason to tune in is to see the best player in the world Messi weave his magic in a 3-0 victory.
Other June 17 World Cup matches:
World Cup Group B match: Greece v Nigeria in Bloemfontein at 4pm.
Greece v Nigeria Odds: Greece win 7/4; draw 2/1; Nigeria win 11/8.
World Cup Group A match: France v Mexico in Polokwane at 8.30pm.
France v Mexico Odds: France win 7/4; draw 11/5; Mexico win 5/4
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Looks like most go for an argie win by 3 goals or there about. I do think argentina will have the best strike force and score the most goals in the group stages closely followed by spain and england. Im looking forward to some great betting opportunities and your blog is providing some good insights and thoughts so thanks.
The reason the Koreans went up to the semi-finals was their great players and the Russian coach that led them. Now all their key players are gone along with the coach… most of the team are new recruits, and it is doubtful Korea would be as successful again
The best things that SKorea has going for them are JiSung Park, DuRi Chai, DongGook Lee, ChuYoung Park, and Diego Maradona. Just as Coach Huh completely shut down Maradona and his “hands of God” with soccer and TaeKwonDo kicks during their encounter as players in ’86 WC in Mexico, don’t underestimate the Koreans. Huh is a realist, however. The most he’s said so far is that Korea will not just roll over, that Argentina will have to work for a win. Don’t count out Koreans just yet. They may surprise you.
Don’t underestimate the Koreans, they are one of the top sides in this competition. I can’t think of a single side (other than Brazil) that can beat them. This is a team made for the finals, which depth and a high level of talent in every position except keeper. With such an ecellent midfield and attack spearheaded by a player better than Messi (Park Chu Young) this is a win for South Korea 3-1. This World Cup is for Korea’s taking, count on it. You saw what happened to Greece, that was only the beginning.
Sorry to add on, I’m not a Korea fan at all. I’d love to see Argentina win, and Nigeria also go to second round. I’d love to see all of Africa’s sides make it through! What a story that would be.
3 goals on SK?
I bet after watching the first matches, you all have different opinions. I absolutely love rooting for the underdogs, and considering I’m a huge fan for SK, it makes the games MUCH more exciting.
Everyone had their money on Greece. They ended up sucking.
Everyone has HUGE sums of money on Argie. Let’s see.