South Korea are set to renew acquaintances with Uruguay when they meet at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in an international friendly on Tuesday night.

The two countries last squared off in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, drawing 0-0 at the Education City Stadium in Qatar.

Match preview

South Korea's national soccer team's new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann speaks upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on March 7, 2023 © Reuters

South Korea were handed a very difficult group at the World Cup, coming up against Ghana, Uruguay and Portugal in Group H, but a fantastic 2-1 victory against the latter nation ensured their progression to the last 16.

It was not to be for the Taegeuk Warriors in the first knockout round, falling short in a 4-1 defeat against five-time winners Brazil, but it would be difficult to criticise their efforts given the level of opponent they came up against.

Following the Qatar tournament, manager Paulo Bento stepped down from his role, having made the decision to leave prior to the competition, and former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann has since replaced him, taking charge of his first game last Friday.

The 58-year-old oversaw a 2-2 draw against Colombia in Ulsan, which is a decent result on paper, although he may be a little disappointed that his side were unable to pick up the victory given their impressive start to the game.

Son Heung-min netted a first-half brace to fire South Korea into the lead, but goals from James Rodriguez and Jorge Carrascal in the second period ensured the South American side were able to pick up a positive result.

Uruguay's Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates in September 2022 © Reuters

Uruguay were unable to match their opponents' efforts out in Qatar, crashing out in the group stage on goals scored, despite picking up four points in their three matches and managing to beat Ghana 2-0 in their final outing.

La Celeste parted ways with manager Diego Alonso after the disappointing performance out in Qatar, but they are yet to appoint a replacement for the 47-year-old, with Under-20s manager Marcelo Broli being placed in charge for this set of friendly matches.

In his first match in charge of the South American side, Alonso picked up a 1-1 draw away at Japan, with Federico Valverde's first-half effort being cancelled out by a Takuma Nishimura equaliser with a little under 15 minutes to spare.

Following the result last time out, Uruguay have lost just two of their last 13 matches in all competitions, winning eight, which bodes well heading into a match against a side they have beaten in six of their eight previous meetings.

South Korea friendly form:

South Korea form (all competitions):

Uruguay friendly form:

Uruguay form (all competitions):

Team News

Cho Gue-sung celebrates scoring for South Korea against Ghana on November 28, 2022 © Reuters

Ki-Je Lee was withdrawn in the first half against Colombia, with Kim Jin-su replacing the centre-back, and the Jeonbuk defender is likely to keep his place in the team, making his first start since featuring against Brazil at the World Cup.

Kim Min-jae is likely to accompany the 30-year-old in defence, owing to his fantastic form for Napoli so far this season, making 26 league appearances for the Serie A leaders.

Jung Woo-young also picked up an injury issue in the last match, meaning Klinsmann may be forced to replace the central midfielder with Jun-Ho Son.

Uruguay managed to come through their match against Japan unscathed, but Brioli may still choose to experiment with his squad, and Facundo Torres may come in on the left wing, replacing Diego Rossi.

There has been a changing of the guard for La Celeste heading into these friendly matches, with Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin all uninvolved with the squad, opening up places in the team for younger players.

South Korea possible starting lineup:
Seong-Gyu; Tae-Hwan, Woo-Young, Min-Jae, Ki-Je; In-Beom, Young-Gwon, Woo-Yeong, Jae-Sung, Son; Gue-Sung

Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Rochet; Gonzalez, Bueno, Coates, Oliveira; Vecino, Ugarte, Pellistri, Valverde, Rossi; Gomez

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We say: South Korea 1-1 Uruguay

There was very little separating the two nations at the World Cup, with South Korea finishing higher in the group by goals scored alone, and so we expect a closely-contested match.

Both teams drew in their most recent outing, and given that they are very evenly-matched, a similar result is likely on Tuesday night.

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