South Korea U20 vs Nigeria U20 Match Preview: FIFA Under 20 World Cup

Nigeria Under 20’s face South Korea Under 20’s this Thursday afternoon in a game that could decide who progresses to the knockout stages of the FIFA under 20 World Cup and who goes home.  So far, South Korea defeated Cuba 2:1 and managed a 2:2 draw with Portugal while Nigeria defeated Cuba 3:0 last time out and lost 3:2 to Portugal in their opening match after coming back from 2:0 down to level at 2:2 before conceding very soon after.

Recent form:

South Korea U20 – D W W W D L L

Nigeria U20 – W L L D D L L

South Korea have lost two in seven while Nigeria have won just one game in seven.

Group B looks like this:

Portugal play Cuba at the same time and they are huge favourites with bookmakers to win (Portugal currently 1/8 odds to defeat Cuba).  Unless Cuba cause a massive upset, South Korea and Nigeria will be playing for second position and a chance to progress further in the competition.  Nigeria must win to progress while South Korea will progress if these two sides draw.

These two sides have not met at under 20 level in recent years so there is no history to go on.

Bookmakers believe Nigeria will come out on top in this game.

Current betting odds: South Korea U20 (15/8) Draw (12/5) Nigeria U20 (11/8)

Gamingtips Prediction – South Korea U20 2:3 Nigeria U20 

This is a very tough game to predict – both sides have looked good in their two games to date and this game may come down to which side can hold their nerve.  From a betting perspective, it’s difficult to side with either team because this is a massive occasion for these players and pressure may play a part in their performance.

South Korea played very well to defeat Cuba in their opening match while Nigeria showed excellent determination to come back from two goals down against Portugal to level the match before conceding a third goal.

South Korea do have better form on paper (unbeaten in five vs Nigeria, won just one in seven) however Nigeria have looked better technically so far in this tournament and may just come out on top.

Over 3.5 goals appears to be the best betting opportunity at odds of 2/1.

This match gets underway at 15:00 GMT+-0 and can be viewed live on British Eurosport 2.

Alternatively you can keep up to date at the bottom of our livescores page