South Korea will begin their 10th consecutive World Cup appearance with a difficult game against Uruguay in Al Rayyan on Thursday.

After failing to progress from the group stage in 2014 and 2018, South Korea will be dreaming of the success that saw them finish in fourth place when they hosted the World Cup alongside Japan 20 years ago.

If Paulo Bento's side are to progress to the knockout rounds, they will have to perform well in a tough group that also features Portugal and Ghana.

Here, Sports Mole looks at three reasons for South Korea to be confident of beating Uruguay at the Education City Stadium.

Son Heung-min World Cup form

Son Heung-min's presence at the World Cup looked to be in doubt when he had to undergo surgery on a fractured eye socket earlier this month.

Although he will be playing with a face mask, Son has recovered in time to play a leading role for his country, who will be hoping their star man can become the second South Korean player to score at three consecutive World Cups.

After scoring his first goal at the tournament in 2014, Son found the net on two occasions in Russia, including a strike in a memorable 2-0 win over Germany.

Those three strikes leave the Tottenham Hotspur forward as South Korea's joint-highest World Cup scorer, demonstrating Son's ability to perform under pressure.

Slow starting Uruguay

The Tigers of Asia may have won only one of their last nine games at the World Cup, but they can draw inspiration from their opponents' record in opening games at the tournament.

Uruguay have won just one of their previous seven World Cup openers, suggesting that they have a habit of starting slowly.

Their only victory in those matches came against Egypt four years ago, but prior to that contest, their previous six opening games were split equally between draws and defeats.

The last time that Uruguay began the World Cup with a defeat was in Brazil in 2014 when they were beaten 3-1 by Costa Rica.

Promising recent form

South Korea have proven to be a tough team to beat of late, after losing only one of their last nine internationals.

Although three of those matches were played at the East Asian Championship, where South Korea featured a number of fringe players, they can still take confidence from their recent form.

In their six friendlies since losing to Brazil in June, South Korea have recorded four wins and two draws, including a resounding 4-1 victory over Egypt.

Having beaten Cameroon and Iceland in their last two games, South Korea will be in a positive mood ahead of Thursday's opener where they have the chance to claim a third consecutive victory.

Read more on Uruguay vs South Korea

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