Ukraine U20 vs South Korea U20 Predictions

The 2019 Under 20 World Cup draws to a close this weekend, with a surprising final in prospect in Poland. The competition will be won by either Ukraine or South Korea, two sides who have defied the early betting to reach the final. We’ve seen big wins for both and the emergence of a few impressive talents, but who will crown a solid summer by landing a world title? Can Ukraine end England’s reign and be the latest European winner, or can the outsiders make history?

Ukraine were able to edge out Italy in the last four, but they were fortunate to come away with a victory. They were bailed out by VAR, which chalked off a goal for Italy late on to give Ukraine the win. They have been a side who had their vulnerable moments in this tournament, including a narrow group win over Qatar, only really clicking into gear to see off a poor Panama side. Will they be held back when they go up against South Korea this weekend?

There was another upset in the other semi-final, as South Korea claimed a 1-0 win over Ecuador. They edged out the reigning South American champions in a win which sets them up nicely for the final. Having seen off one of the highest rated young groups at this level, South Korea should build on the momentum they have behind them. They’ve not looked back since their opening game loss to Portugal, recovering from that to find a tactical balance which has pushed them to the final.

South Korea in that time have beaten Argentina, Japan and saw off Senegal on penalties during their run at this tournament. They’ve mixed it with different kinds of styles, fighting back to draw 3-3 with Senegal in between two hard-fought 1-0 wins which have shown impressive resolve. South Korea were in decent shape as hosts two years ago, but they could be set to follow it up as champions.

The Asian side have been dealt a boost after Ukraine had Denys Popov sent off in the semis. The defender has been a key part of their back three, but he’s also supplied three goals which have helped them make it this far. We expect a close game between these two sides, but South Korea have been priced up as huge outsiders despite all the things they have going for them. We are backing them to take advantage of a weakened Ukraine side and claim the victory. We’re going with South Korea to win here, while we see them getting another 1-0 victory.