Mexico coach Javier Aguirre is wary of the threat posed by South Korea as they meet in Group A after both sides started their World Cup campaigns with wins.
Aguirre’s men were able to celebrate a victory in the tournament curtain-raiser at Estadio Azteca, claiming a 2-0 victory over South Africa in a game that saw three red cards.
Despite the win, co-hosts Mexico faced some criticism for their overall display against South Africa, and improvements are likely to be needed against South Korea.
Though they were vulnerable to set-pieces and long throws against Czechia, South Korea dominated the game and could have won their opener by a greater margin than the 2-1 scoreline.
The victor of this game in Guadalajara will be in the box seat to win Group A, and Aguirre indicated improvements will be needed from Mexico if they are to continue their excellent record in this fixture.
“We struggled with ball possession in midfield and missed several decisive chances inside the box during the opener,” Aguirre told his pre-match press conference.
“I tell players that feeling nervous at the World Cup is natural. I advise them to acknowledge it but not freeze.”
Mexico and South Korea met in a friendly last September, with that game ending in a 2-2 draw.
“South Korea has many top-tier players. Their quick transitions in midfield lead to lethal attacks. I felt this during last September’s friendly match,” Aguirre added.
“I haven’t given the players any special instructions. We’ve prepared extensively, and I hope to see that on the field tomorrow.”
South Korea boss Hong Myung-bo believes his side are in confident mood after coming from behind to beat Czechia.
“In the first match against Czechia, we never gave up until the end, fulfilled our roles, and secured the victory,” Hong said. The players have strong confidence. I hope they show it well on the pitch tomorrow.
“Mexico is completely different from the Czech Republic in playing style and everything else. I shared that thoroughly with the players this week. The opponent will clearly come out very strong, and we need to prepare well for that.”
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World Cup 2026: Mexico v South Korea team news
Cesar Montes is suspended for Mexico following his red card against South Africa.
Bae Jun-Ho and Kim Tae-Hyeon (both ankle) are injury concerns for South Korea.
Mexico v South Korea: World Cup 2026 predicted line-ups
Mexico: Rangel; Reyes, Alvarez, Vasquez, Gallardo; Lira; Alvarado, Gutierrez, Fidalgo, Quinones; Jimenez.
South Korea: S. Kim; H. Lee, M. Kim, G. Lee; Seol, Hwang, Paik, T. Lee; K. Lee, J Lee; Son.
Where to watch Mexico v South Korea: TV channel, live online streams
Mexico v South Korea kicks off at 2:00am on Friday UK time. It will be broadcast on BBC Two and is also available to watch on the iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
World Cup 2026: Mexico v South Korea stats
- Mexico and South Korea have met 14 times, with El Tri winning nine of those games. (D3, L2).
- Two of those games came at the World Cup. Mexico prevailed 3-1 in 1998 and 2-1 in 2018.
- Raul Jimenez has scored in each of his last two games against South Korea.
- South Korea are aiming to win their first two games at a World Cup for the first time.
- Mexico have won only one of their previous three games in Guadalajara. (D1, L1).
- South Korea are winless in their three games against CONCACAF opponents (D1, L2).
- Mexico have won all five of their World Cup games versus Asian opposition.
World Cup 2026: Mexico v South Korea prediction
Despite Mexico’s excellent record against South Korea, these two sides are well matched, expect an entertaining and likely even contest.
Prediction: Mexico 2-2 South Korea
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