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New Zealand U23 and South Korea U23 open Group B of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 men's football tournament at the Kashima Stadium on Thursday.
The Kiwis are back after failing to qualify for the Rio edition five years ago, while the Koreans will be looking to better their quarter-final finish from the same competition.
They've certainly prepared for that with four friendly games since last month. South Korea beat Ghana twice before drawing with Argentina and losing to France.
Meanwhile, New Zealand will be making only their third appearance at the Olympics, having stormed through the qualifiers with five wins from five.
They scored a staggering 33 goals in the process (yes, you read that right!) including five in the finals of the qualifying phase against the Solomon Islands.
New Zealand U23 vs South Korea U23 Head-To-Head
This will be the first official meeting between the sides.
New Zealand U23 Form Guide (all competitions): W-L
South Korea U23 Form Guide (all competitions): L-W-W-D-L
New Zealand U23 vs South Korea U23 Team News
New Zealand U23
Burnley star Chris Wood is arguably the most notable player in the New Zealand squad, while 33-year-old Brentford defender Winston Reid will be the captain.
The Kiwis will be relying heavily on their experience, while Ben Waine, who's scored eight goals in seven games for the under-23 side, could be their key man upfront.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
South Korea U23
Valencia starlet Lee Kang-in headlines the South Korean side. Meanwhile, Park Ji-soo, Kwon Chang-hoon and Hwang Ui-jo are the over-age players named by head coach Kim Hak-bum.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
New Zealand U23 vs South Korea U23 Predicted XI
New Zealand U23 (4-3-3): Michael Woud; Callan Elliot, Winston Reid, Nando Pijnaker, Liberato Cacace; Clayton Lewis, Gianni Stensness, Joe Bell; Ben Waine, Chris Wood, Elijah Just.
South Korea U23 (4-4-2): Song Bum-keun; Lee Sang-min, Kim Jae-woo, Park Ji-soo, Kang Yoon-sung; Lee Kang-in, Kim Dong-hun, Won Du-jae, Kim Jin-kyu; Kwon Chang-hoon, Lee Dong-jun.
New Zealand U23 vs South Korea U23 Prediction
South Korea have prepared themselves well for the tournament with four warm-up games over the last month.
New Zealand will bank on their experienced stars for results, but the Kiwis are still the underdogs here given their mediocre record at the Olympics. We expect South Korea to emerge as the winners of this encounter.
Prediction: New Zealand U23 1-2 South Korea U23
