The AFC Asian Cup round of 16 continues on Tuesday with another two matches out in Qatar as a couple of potential title challengers look to make it into the quarter final on what should be a decent showcase of football.
South Korea went into the tournament as one of the fancied runners and they get the chance to show why as the headline act on Tuesday. Three other teams will be looking to move into the last eight themselves though.
Uzbekistan vs Thailand (11.30)
The first of the two matches on Tuesday sees two of the lesser lights looking to book a spot in the quarter finals where Uzbekistan go up against Thailand with the reward for the winners a clash with the host nation and defending champion Qatar in the last eight.
I’ve been quite keen on Uzbekistan in this tournament but in truth I’m wondering if I got that wrong because while they haven’t been a disaster, they haven’t really impressed as much as I would have hoped. They are about 40 places in the world rankings ahead of Thailand, who have performed well above themselves in this tournament, but Thailand are unbeaten in the competition and haven’t conceded a goal yet despite facing two teams ranked higher than their opponents in this match. Before the tournament I would have expected Uzbekistan to get the job done and if I was forced to I would probably side with them to qualify but whether they get the job done in 90 minutes I’m less sure. I’m happy to leave this one alone in truth.
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Saudi Arabia vs South Korea (16.00)
The pick of the two matches on Tuesday and the round of 16 as a whole is the second one to kick off as two former champions in this event clash when Saudi Arabia go up against a flattering to deceive South Korea in a tasty looking encounter.
Saudi Arabia were my outright pick for this tournament but I’m a little less comfortable with their chances, not just because the way the draw has worked out they have got a bit of a Bismarck clash here, but also because they haven’t looked as reliable as I thought they would be heading into the competition. South Korea definitely haven’t lived up to their billing though. I personally wasn’t as confident of their chances heading into the event because I really don’t rate Jurgen Klinsmann as a manager and you would have to say they are underperforming with the level of talent they have at their disposal and in the company they have kept so far in the tournament. They beat Bahrain in their opening match but there wasn’t much that was convincing about that and then since then they have drawn with Jordan and Malaysia and shipped five goals in the process. I don’t like them defensively despite the personnel available to them but on the flip side of that they do have goals in them and I’m not convinced that the Saudi defence will keep them at bay. I expect Saudi Arabia to go after this Korea defence though so while I’m hoping for a Saudi win here for outright purposes I think the even money on both teams to score is very nice value.
Tips
Back Saudi Arabia vs South Korea – Both teams to score for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Betfair
