For the second time in this tournament, 24th-ranked Japan delivered one of the most momentous comebacks in World Cup history by defeating seventh-ranked Spain 2-1.
Consequently, four-time champions Germany were eliminated at the group stage of a second straight World Cup, despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica.
For today’s first two matches, Kashef, our artificial intelligence (AI) robot, has analysed more than 200 metrics, including the number of wins, goals scored and FIFA rankings, from matches played over the past century.
Here are Kashef’s predictions:
Who: Ghana vs Uruguay, Group H
Where: Al Janoub Stadium
When: Friday, December 2: 6pm (15:00 GMT)
Prediction: Ghana and Uruguay have met only once before, during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. After a 1-1 score in normal time, Ghana went on to lose 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
Fans from across the African continent have been waiting for this rematch as a victory will see the Black Stars join fellow West Africans Senegal in the round of 16.
Kashef, however, gives Uruguay a 50 percent chance of winning today’s game with a draw also likely.
Who: South Korea vs Portugal, Group H
Where: Education City Stadium
When: Friday, December 2: 6pm (15:00 GMT)
Prediction: South Korea must win against Portugal today to stand any chance of making it through to the next round. Both sides have squared off once before during the 2002 World Cup where hosts South Korea managed a 1-0 victory over their opponents.
Despite that, Kashef’s latest prediction is that Portugal, who have already secured their place in the next round, will edge out the Taeguk Warriors. A draw is also not off the cards.
Who is going to win the World Cup?
With 44 matches completed, Kashef has a 66 percent accuracy level. After every match, Kashef reruns the model to predict the outcome of the next game all the way through to the final.
Predicting match results is no easy task. External factors like team morale or player fitness make a big difference in how the game goes.
See if you can outsmart Kashef and predict today’s winners by playing our AI game here.
