Iraq U20 vs Paraguay U20 Match Preview: FIFA Under 20 World Cup

Iraq under 20’s meet Paraguay under 20’s this Wednesday evening at the Akdeniz Universitesi Stadium in the last 16 of the FIFA under 20 World Cup.

Iraq have been the surprise package of the tournament so far topping Group E beating Egypt and Chile along the way.

Paraguay finished joint top of Group D after a win against Mexico and draws against Mali and Greece.

Recent form:

Iraq U20 – W W D

Paraguay U20 – D W D W L W W

Iraq are unbeaten in three while Paraguay have lost just one game in their last seven.

The last 16 draw looks like this (prior to Wednesday’s games).

Tuesday saw Spain come from behind to win late on against Mexico.  France carved turkey apart with a convincing 4:1 win.  Greece lost 3:1 to Uzbekistan and Uruguay defeated Nigeria 2:1.

Spain play Uruguay and France meet Uzbekistan in the quarter finals on Saturday.

Portugal play Ghana at 16:00 CET along with Croatia vs Chile.  Colombia and South Korea play at 19:00 CET on Wednesday evening.

Iraq and Paraguay have never met at under 20 level so there is no form to go on.

Bookmakers side with Paraguay.

Current betting odds: Iraq U20 (5/2) Draw (23/10) Paraguay U20 (11/10)

Gamingtips Prediction – Iraq U20 2:2 Paraguay U20 

In every game Iraq has played in, they have been underdogs and tonight will be like no other.  They showed great determination and spirit to come back from 2:0 down against England to level the game at 2:2 prior to grinding out wins against Egypt and Chile.  Iraq can play carefree football and this makes them a very dangerous side; a side with no expectations coming into a major tournament find themselves in the last 16 as undefeated group leaders.

Paraguay have played solidly so far – they have conceded just two goals in their first three and against a side who has scored 6 in 3 matches, their defensive record must remain excellent in order for them to progress to the quarter finals.

Paraguay looked very assured against Mexico in their 1:0 win however there is more expectation surrounding them in this game and they may wilt under pressure.

Iraq will have their army of neutral supporters cheering them on and although it will be a shock result in respect to their odds, they may just be a very good, underrated, under 20 side.

This game gets underway at 19:00 CET and can be viewed live on Eurosport.  International listings will vary.

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