South Africa vs South Korea

The last time South Korea and South Africa met competitively, it was a 2007 friendly in Seoul that finished 2-0 to the hosts. Their only other meeting, a 2-2 draw in a 2002 World Cup warm-up, hinted at an open, technical contest between two sides who prefer to play on the front foot. This matchday-three fixture could determine which of them joins Mexico in the knockout stage, and that pressure will shape everything.

South Korea's Son Heung-min, potentially playing his last World Cup, will carry the attacking burden, but the tactical key is whether Hong Myung-bo can solve a defensive vulnerability against pace. South Africa's Percy Tau and Lyle Foster have that pace in abundance, and Broos will instruct them to stretch the Korean centre-backs, creating space for Mokoena's late runs from midfield. South Korea's counter is their set-piece quality — Kim Min-jae is a genuine threat from corners, and South Africa's man-marking in the box has occasionally switched off during qualifying.

In the thin air of the Azteca, fitness in the final 20 minutes could decide everything.