South Korea vs Thailand Prediction: Hosts should win this one comfortably

South Korea and Thailand will be looking to strengthen their World Cup bids when they face each other in Seoul (KO 11:00) for the third game of their second-round group. The hosts currently top the table with two wins in as many games, while Thailand will be eager to give themselves a cushion over the other nations around them after collecting their first win last time out.

Below are our South Korea vs Thailand predictions, including team news, match odds and a couple of betting selections.

Match Odds

South Korea are the overwhelming 1/12 favourites to win this contest. Thailand can be backed at the high price of 18/1, while the draw is 13/2. Both teams to score - no is priced at 4/9, while BTTS - yes is 2/1. Over 2.5 goals 1/2 but you will find better value in backing over 3.5 goals at 5/4.

Team News

South Korea are unable to call upon influential winger Hwang Hee-chan for this round of international fixtures due to injury. Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon and forward Hwang Ui-jo are also not in this month's squad. Experienced goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu is also missing due to an injury which could cause them some issues.

Paik Seung-ho, the midfielder who scored a rocket against Brazil at the last World Cup, has been recalled to the national team since moving to English football with Birmingham City in January. The team will look to, as always, their captain and talismanic figure in Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min, who has 44 goals in 123 appearances for his country.

As for Thailand, they are going to be without veteran striker Teerasil Dangda, and with 64 goals in 127 appearances, he will be a huge miss during this round of fixtures.

South Korea -2 handicap @ EVS

With South Korea the clear favourites to win this game, as well as the gulf in class between them and their opponents, only a few markets will offer you real value. For this game, a -2 handicap at EVS is worth backing due to the hosts' quality and pedigree when it comes to their Asian rivals on the World Cup stage.

They should run out as pretty comfortable winners here on Thursday and with Premier League star Son leading the line, they have more than enough firepower to blow Thailand away and easily overcome a two-goal deficit.

South Korea to win 3-0 @ 9/2

As we have already outlined, Thursday's clash should be straightforward for South Korea. As we look for another market with value, we think backing them to win 3-0 could be a shrewd selection. They may be missing a key attacker in Hwang but when Son is fit and firing, there are never any truly great concerns when it comes to games such as this.

Thailand are missing an influential figure of their own in Dangda, and that won't make their task of trying to beat the hosts any easier. The Warriors have plenty of quality throughout their squad and we are expecting this to be showcased in Thursday's clash.