2018 World Cup Betting Odds & Prediction: Sweden vs. South Korea

Group F in the World Cup features superpower and defending champion Germany as well as a Mexican side that has advanced past the knockout stage the last six World Cup tournaments. That leaves Sweden and South Korea. If one side loses their opening match on Monday against one another, that country can basically forget about advancing. Sweden is a slight Mybookie Sportsbook favorite, but the Asian team is not going to be an easy opponent. Be sure to check our 2018 World Cup News page to find everything you need to know to keep winning during the whole tournament, including previews, predictions & more.

Sweden vs. South Korea 2018 World Cup Betting Odds & Prediction

Good luck to all teams at the #WorldCup, including the 1⃣4⃣ nations representing Europe!#MakeEuropeProud #Respect #BEL #CRO #DEN #ENG #ESP #FRA #GER #ISL #POL #POR #RUS #SRB #SUI #SWE pic.twitter.com/WtEsalE0Hh
— UEFA (@UEFA) 14 de junio de 2018

When: Monday 8 AM ET
Where: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Russia
TV/Stream: Fox Sports 1/Fox Sports Go
2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Sweden +107 / South Korea +255 / Draw +215

Why Bet on Sweden?

Confederation: UEFA
Head coach: Janne Andersson
Captain: Andreas Granqvist
FIFA Ranking: 24

This was arguably the most shocking team to reach the World Cup when you consider how they got here. Drawn into a tough UEFA Group A with France, Netherlands, and Bulgaria, Sweden wasn’t given a great chance to qualify for the World Cup following the international retirement of numerous veterans, including superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, they surprised by finishing second ahead of Netherlands and shocked Italy in the playoffs by keeping a clean sheet over 180 minutes. That was a major triumph after failing to qualify for the previous two World Cup tournaments. Coach Janne Andersson has assembled and deployed a formidable defensive unit which conceded just nine goals in 12 qualifiers. On the other end of the field, the Swedes netted 26 times. Not even the best Swedish player maybe ever thinks his team has shot in the group. Ibrahimovic said that Germany will be the team to beat in the World Cup. Ibrahimovic also believes Sweden should simply enjoy themselves at the World Cup because without him in the team, there are no expectations of success. “I think Sweden, they have less pressure when I’m not there because when I’m there we’re supposed to win everything,” Ibrahimovic said. Key players Andreas Granqvist and Viktor Claesson ply their trade in Russia for Krasnodar. They will feel at home during the tournament. Emil Forsberg is the star. The 26-year-old winger is coming off an injury-plagued season and the least productive one in his three years, for sixth-place Bundesliga finishers RB Leipzig. Forsberg scored more than 50 goals in under 200 games while playing six seasons in Sweden before making the move to Germany, where he’s made more than 30 appearances each of the last three seasons. Blessed with vision and sublime technical skills, the midfielder, nicknamed “Mini-Foppa,” is fun to watch. The Swedes are ranked 24th in the world but they haven’t looked good offensively in their past three friendlies without a single goal in a 1-0 loss to Romania and scoreless draws vs. Denmark and Peru. The Peru match was the most recent, last Saturday. Once again, the Swedes struggled in front of goal as Sebastian Larsson celebrated his 100th cap by captaining Andersson’s side. Sweden suffered a scare midway through the second half as top goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who missed most of the spring due to a broken collarbone, landed heavily, but after treatment, he was able to continue. He’ll play Monday.

Possible Line-Up

1-R. Olsen
4-A. Granqvist
2-M. Lustig
3-V. Lindelöf
6-L. Augustinsson
7-S. Larsson
8-A. Ekdal
10-E. Forsberg
17-V. Claesson
9-M. Berg
20-O. Toivonen

Why Bet on South Korea?

Confederation: AFC
Head coach: Shin Tae-yong
Captain: Ki Sung-yueng
FIFA Ranking: 57

South Korea limped through the final round of Asian qualification and was helped by the failings of others than their own performances. Just four wins from 10 games, all of which came at home, equaled a far-from-convincing performance. It was so unimpressive that coach Uli Stielike was fired with two games remaining. In the qualifying group, they scored 11 and conceded 10. They conceded five goals to Qatar over two matches. They conceded two to China at home. The defense can be woeful In addition, the Koreans enter having won just one of their past five friendlies. They didn’t look good Monday in a 2-0 loss to Senegal. There were some surprises on the final 23-man South Korean squad. Crystal Palace winger Lee Chung-Yong was hoping for a third straight World Cup appearance but was one of three players cut as coach Shin Tae-Yong announced his final squad. The Taeguk Warriors also are without defenders Kwon Kyong-Won of Tianjin Quanjian in China and Kim Jin-Su of K-League champions Jeonbuk Motors. Lee, a veteran of the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, barely featured for Palace in the 2017-18 English Premier League season and that lack of game time counted against the 29-year-old.

The 2018 World Cup Betting Odds are against South Korea.

There is talent, though. Son Heung-Min has starred for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League this season. He scored 18 goals across all competitions this season (12 in the Premier League, 4 in Champions League, 2 in FA Cup) and enters the tournament with the weight of an entire nation resting on his shoulders. The team also boasts classy midfielders in the shape of Ki Sung-Yeung, Lee Jae-Sung, and Kwon Chang-Hoon. In net, Kim Seung-Gyu is not world class and is guilty of making errors. With nine straight World Cup trips, the Red Devils own the fifth-longest active streak behind only Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Spain. South Korea has reached the knockout rounds of the World Cup just once in the three tournaments held since they were joint-hosts in 2002.