South Korea currently hold the advantage, but their progression to the knockout stage is not yet assured.

South Africa must pull off an upset to avoid an early exit from the World Cup, though South Korea have plenty of motivation to make their task a difficult one.

The match is scheduled to begin at 7pm local time (2am UK time) at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico. At the same time, the host nation Mexico will face the Czech Republic in the other Group A fixture.

Regardless of the outcomes, Mexico are guaranteed to finish top of the group. This means a draw would suffice for South Korea, as they hold the head-to-head advantage over the Czech Republic.

That situation places South Africa in a precarious position. With only one point from their first two matches, they cannot afford anything less than a win if they hope to stay in contention.

After a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their World Cup opener, in which they finished with nine men, South Africa again struggled against the Czech Republic. However, Teboho Mokoena’s late penalty salvaged a draw and earned them their first point of the tournament.

Manager Hugo Broos will demand a stronger showing from his players. A win could see them leapfrog South Korea into second place, depending on the Czech Republic’s result in Mexico City.

If that scenario does not unfold, three points might still give South Africa a chance of advancing as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

South Korea, meanwhile, displayed both resilience and quality in their comeback 2-1 victory over Czechia in their opening match. They will aim to secure qualification decisively rather than rely on a cautious draw that could prove risky.

To achieve that, Hong Myung-bo’s side must show more creativity and clinical finishing than they managed in their narrow defeat to Mexico in the previous outing.

Head coach Hong faces a challenging tactical decision, but his team should approach this fixture with confidence, knowing that a solid performance can see them through to the knockout rounds for a second consecutive World Cup.

South Africa, on the other hand, have yet to show convincing form, and if they fall two goals behind, the scoreline could worsen as their morale dips.

We expect Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min, and their teammates to collect more than the single point needed to progress.

Score prediction: South Africa 0-3 South Korea