THINGS couldn't have gone much worse for Wales in the last round of international games and boss Rob Page has admitted they could do without this friendly with South Korea before a crunch Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia.
Page's side started their Euro campaign superbly, grinding out a 1-1 draw in Croatia then following it up with a home win over Latvia, but the wheels then came off as they crashed 4-2 in Cardiff against Armenia then 2-0 on the road in Turkey.
That has left the Dragons sitting fourth in Group D and the Welsh now face an uphill struggle to reach next year's finals in Germany. This had the feel of a transitional campaign with Gareth Bale retiring and Aaron Ramsey no longer at his peak. With home games to come against both Turkey and Croatia it's still too early to write Wales off but the fans appear to have lost a bit of faith as this friendly looks set to be played against the backdrop of thousands of empty seats.
South Korea have the firepower to cause them even more problems in Cardiff, especially with Page confirming he will field a shadow side. But the Koreans' form has also been pretty patchy since Jurgen Klinsmann took over in the wake of their World Cup exit to Brazil.
The German has yet to win, losing to Uruguay and Peru while drawing with Colombia and El Salvador, so he will be desperate to get off the mark and Klinsmann certainly has lots of firepower at his disposal.
Star man Son Heung-min reports for duty off the back of a weekend hat-trick for Spurs while Wolves forward Hwang Lee-Chan was also on target in his side's loss to Crystal Palace.
How the bookies view it
The bookies were sitting on the fence for this one before Page revealed he would leave out most of his star men. Wales were 13/8 at Betfair and the Koreans 9/5 at Unibet while the draw paid 12/5 at Bet365. I'd expect those prices to change a bit after Page's team news but Bet365 still had South Korea at 31/20 after it came out and that looks great value.
Head to head
These nations have never faced off before but South Korea have played three friendlies against British teams, with mixed results. In the build-up to the 2002 World Cup on home soil, they battered Scotland 4-1 and drew 1-1 with England but on their last trip to the UK in 2018 the Koreans lost 2-1 to Northern Ireland.
Players to watch
This is the first of two UK friendlies for South Korea as they face Saudi Arabia at St James' Park next week. I've a feeling Klinsmann will field a stronger side for the clash with Wales so Spurs hero Son looks good value at 9/4 for anytime scorer with William Hill after his weekend heroics.
Kieffer Moore is suspended for the qualifier in Latvia so the big striker should get a run-out here. He's 12/5 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
I fancied a few goals when Wales hosted Latvia but that match ended 1-0 with all the drama saved for their next game as that 4-2 loss to Armenia bust Slips Tips coupon. With such a disparity in their last two Cardiff outings it's hard to predict if we'll see a lot action here, especially as it's a friendly. But BTTS has landed in six of the last seven for South Korea so I'm inclined to go for that bet here at 17/20 with William Hill. The odds are a little better if you back between two and three goals, with that paying 20/21 at Bet365.
Friendlies can take a bit of time to spark into life and that makes the half-time draw a good option. It pays 11/10 with Paddy Power here.
This International Friendly match between Wales and South Korea will be played on Sep 7, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Wales vs South Korea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.