Heung-Min Son and his star-studded South Korea side gets its 2023 Asian Cup under way with a group stage match against Bahrain on Monday.
The Tottenham forward suffered disappointment last time out in this competition, seeing the Taeguk Warriors bounced in the 2019 quarterfinals at the hands of eventual champions Qatar. Now on Qatari soil for this year's tournament, South Korea boast maybe their most talented squad ever.
Son is joined by in-form Wolves forward Hee-Chan Hwang and Bayern Munich defender Kim-Min Jae, plus emerging young midfielder Lee Kang-In.
They meet 86th-ranked Bahrain who have struggled against top Asian teams, falling 2-0 to Australia in their pre-tournament friendly and dropping their latest World Cup qualifier to UAE by the same score.
CANADA: Click here to see the latest odds for South Korea vs Bahrain and bet Asian Cup matches
South Korea vs Bahrain prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: South Korea (-600)
- Score prediction: South Korea 4-1 Bahrain
South Korea will need to prove they can beat the best the continent and world has to offer, but they should have no troubles here against lesser opposition.
They had a tough stretch of friendlies through the first half of the 2023 calendar year, but the run of five without a win came largely against stronger South American and European opposition. They trounced Singapore and China by a combined 8-0 to begin World Cup qualifying in November, and took care of Iraq in their pre-tournament friendly while missing a few of their biggest stars.
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | |
| South Korea win | -600 |
| Draw | +550 |
| Bahrain win | +1150 |
| Both teams to score Y/N | +155 / -225 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | -160 / +110 |
| South Korea -1.5 goals | -175 |
| Bahrain +1.5 goals | +120 |
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South Korea vs Bahrain match facts
- Date: Monday, Jan. 15, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 2:30 p.m. local (6:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 a.m. PT)
- Location: Al Sadd Stadium (Al Rayyan, Qatar)
- Last meeting: South Korea 2-1 Bahrain (Jan. 22, 2019 | Asian Cup)
South Korea vs Bahrain best bet
- Pick: South Korea over 2.5 goals
- Odds: +100 (Sports Interaction)
This South Korea team is absolutely loaded with attacking talent, and not only do they boast players at clubs in top European leagues, they are all in great form as well. Heung-Min Son is having a revival season, while Hee-Chan Hwang is enjoying a breakout campaign with Wolves.
Even 22-year-old Kang-In Lee has forced his way into the PSG squad thanks to his impressive chance creation skills.
Bahrain conceded two goals just twice across all of 2023, but did not play any upper-tier competition. In 2022, they coughed up two goals to Cape Verde and Panama in friendlies, and were thwacked 5-1 by Serbia as well. There will be plenty of chances for South Korea to run up the score, something they've enjoyed doing on occasion in recent years.
South Korea vs Bahrain prop bet
- Pick: Hee-Chan Hwang anytime goal scorer
- Odds: +160 (Sports Interaction)
South Korea's most prolific goal scorer is not Tottenham star Heung-Min Son, but instead his fellow Premier League frontman Hee-Chan Hwang, who has been a force up front for both club and country of late.
While Hwang has just 12 goals in 57 international caps, two of those have come in his last four international appearances, and seven since the start of World Cup qualifying began in June of 2021. While Son should also be heavily involved and may find the net, his -120 odds provide far less value than Hwang's, as the popular Spurs playmaker will also be tasked with significant chance creation duties, from which Hwang will benefit greatly.
Given that, we've backed Hwang to emerge as the tournament's top goal scorer, as he should profit from a glutton of opportunities in front of goal.
South Korea vs Bahrain live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| Canada | — | — |
| USA | — | Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo |
| UK | — | — |
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