North Korea U23 vs United Arab Emirates U23 Asian Games Preview
North Korea and the United Arab Emirates are seeking their first win in the football event at the 2026 Asian Games as they meet in their second Group B clash.
Both teams have found it difficult keeping things tight at the back lately and are set to serve up an open contest.
Key Stats
- North Korea U23 have scored in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- North Korea U23 have conceded in their last five matches in all competitions.
- United Arab Emirates U23 have scored in eight of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- North Korea U23 have conceded in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Evenly Matched Rivals
North Korea and United Arab Emirates have picked up one win each, with two draws in the last four matches at this level. The most recent meeting was an AFC U23 Championship clash back in 2020, which ended 2-0 in favour of UAE.
North Korea Looking to Bounce Back
North Korea come into this clash off the back of a 2-1 defeat to China in their opening Group C clash. They failed to build on Choe Kuk’s effort midway through the first half and conceded in both halves.
Despite the defeat, manager Kim Yong-jun will look at the positives from the performance as they saw plenty of possession and created multiple chances. The result was also only their second defeat in the last 10 matches in all competitions, and they will be keen to get their campaign back on track.
North Korea have shown some attacking quality lately, scoring in their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, they often look shaky at the back and are without a clean sheet in the last five fixtures in this run.
United Arab Emirates Looking for Spark
United Arab Emirates are also coming off a defeat as they fell 3-1 to Iran in their opening fixture. They were second best for much of the contest, with Mackenzie Hunt’s second-half effort proving a mere consolation.
Manager Igor Biscan will consider the result a blip as it was their first defeat in seven matches in all competitions. They will be looking to find their spark in their next fixture and get their campaign back on track.
One issue for United Arab Emirates is their shaky defence as they are without a clean sheet in nine of their last 10 matches. However, they have shown some attacking quality, scoring in eight of those 10 fixtures.
Team News & Predicted Line-ups
North Korea (3-4-3): Kang Ju-hyeok, Kim Yu-song, Jong Hwi-nam, Ri Song-hung; Bom Kim-kuk, Choe Ryong-il, Yom Chol-gyong, Ri Kum-chol; Choe Kuk, Paek Chung-song, Ri Il-sung.
North Korea came away from their opening fixture with no injuries or suspensions and are unlikely to make too many changes. Choe should continue in attack after scoring their only goal last night, while Kim Yu-song is set to feature in defence once again.
United Arab Emirates (5-3-2): Khaled Tawhid; Yousif Al-Marzouqi, Khamis Al-Mansoori, Mubarak Ahmed, Solomon Sosu, Mackenzie Hunt; Yahya Alghassani, Ahmed Al-Shammari, Mahmoud Badr; Junior Ndiaye, Mansoor Al-Menhali.
Hunt should continue at left-back for the United Arab Emirates after scoring his team's only goal last time out. Alghassani is set to feature in midfield while Ndiaye should start in attack alongside Al-Menhali.