The first and second-placed teams in Group B of the AFC third-round qualifying will clash on Thursday afternoon as Jordan takes on South Korea, with both teams looking to maintain their strong starts in their pursuit of qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The hosts are at the top of the group with four points from two matches, while the visitors also have four points but trail due to goal difference.
Match preview
Having never previously qualified for a FIFA World Cup tournament, Jordan have made a fantastic start in their pursuit for a place in the newly expanded 48-team 2026 edition.
They placed top of their second-round group with 13 points from six outings, notably ahead of Saudi Arabia on goal difference, and have continued that fine form into the third-round group.
Jamal Sellami, who took over in July 2024, has guided his side to a win and a draw from their opening two fixtures, leaving them top of the standings with four points.
Although they sit at the top heading into the next two matches, both South Korea and Iraq are level on points with Sellami's side, making every game crucial in their attempt to remain in the race for the top two spots and ultimately secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Sellami will be hoping his team can pick up a particularly important three points against arguably the strongest team in the group, South Korea, in their coming game, while he will also be aiming to extend his unbeaten start to life as manager.
South Korea, on the other hand, are striving to qualify for their 11th consecutive World Cup tournament, a remarkable achievement considering they only participated in the 1954 edition before embarking on their streak of successive qualifications starting in 1986.
Having dominated their second-round group, finishing comfortably in first place with 16 points from six games, South Korea would have been extremely confident heading into the third-round group.
However, they began their third-round qualifiers with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Palestine, and in their second match, they had to depend on two late goals to narrowly secure a victory over Oman.
Hong Myung-bo, managing the team for the second time after previously holding the position from 2013 to 2014, will be seeking a much more confident victory in their upcoming match.
South Korea have struggled against Jordan in recent meetings, drawing 2-2 in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage before losing 2-0 in the semi-finals, leaving them out for revenge in this one.
Team News
The hosts could name a similar side to the one that has featured in their opening two games of the group, with Yazan Al-Naimat likely to lead the line after scoring twice in their last match.
Mousa Al-Taamari has been named in the squad despite failing to make an appearance for club or country since suffering an injury in their draw with Kuwait, leaving the attacking midfielder as a doubt here.
As for South Korea, Heung-min Son has been named in the squad despite missing Tottenham Hotspur's recent matches due to a muscle injury, but the forward could be fit in time to feature here.
Elsewhere, a similar side to the one that featured in their eventual 3-1 victory over Oman in their last game could start here, with Hee-Chan Hwang and Kang-in Lee playing from wide positions.
Jordan possible starting lineup:
Abulaila; Nasib, Alarab, Dahab; Haddad, Al-Rashdan, Al-Rawabdeh, Hasheesh; Olwan, Al-Mardi; Al-Naimat
South Korea possible starting lineup:
Hyeon-woo; Young-woo, Seung-hyun, Min-Jae, Myeong-jae; Yong Woo, In-Beom; Kang-in, Heung-min, Hee-Chan; Se-hun
We say: Jordan 1-3 South Korea
While both sides appear evenly matched based on their results so far in the group, South Korea undoubtedly possess more talent throughout their squad and should secure a victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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