Korea Republic U23 vs China PR U23 — Tips & Analysis

Under 2.75: China's defending is the reason this one should stay quiet. They have gone seven away games without letting in a goal, and they let in less than a goal a game across their last 13. At this tournament they tied 0-0 with Iran and 0-0 with the UAE before beating Thailand 3-0. These two do not produce many goals against each other either. Their last five meetings averaged 2 goals in total, and Korea won the last two 2-0. Korea will have the ball for long spells here. They score more than 2 goals a game. They have scored 10 in their three matches here, winning 4-1 against Qatar, 2-0 against Saudi Arabia and 4-0 against Vietnam. China will sit deep and make them work for every chance. Their squad has three older heads in the spine, Zhang Yuning, Wu Xi and Zhu Chenjie, so this is an experienced side, not a raw young one. The ground in Osaka is neutral, so neither team has a crowd behind them. A 1-0 Korea win looks the likeliest result, and that suits us. The danger is Korea's attack. They are chasing a fourth Asian Games gold in a row, and if China hold them, they will throw everyone forward late. China's four games here have swung from two 0-0s to a 3-0, so a wider result is possible. We still want the low-scoring game.