We said: Syria 2-1 North Korea
Given North Korea's absence from the international stage, the outcome of this contest is difficult to predict. It leaves us only able to predict a victory for Syria, albeit in a highly-competitive match with what could be at stake come the end of the group.
Read more.Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Syria win with a probability of 81.94%. A draw had a probability of 13.3% and a win for North Korea had a probability of 4.77%.
The most likely scoreline for a Syria win was 2-0 with a probability of 16.84%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (13.75%) and 1-0 (13.75%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (5.92%), while for a North Korea win it was 0-1 (2.42%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Syria would win this match.