Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in, the ‘European 3rd leader’, will start the first round against Bahrain, ranked 86th in the ‘Clinsman’

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will play the first Group E match against Bahrain at 8:30 p.m. on the 15th (Korean time) at Alayyan Jasim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar.

Klinsmann revealed the starting lineup ahead of kick-off. Korea uses 4-2-3-1 tactics. Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan) will lead the offense at the front line. Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Lee Kang-in (Mainz) will be at the second line. Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) will play as defensive midfielders. Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Min-jae, Jeong Seung-hyeon, and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan HD) will sit at the back four. Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab) will keep the goal. Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai) who are injured are completely excluded. Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic) also failed to make the list of 23.

Korea aims to win its first Asian Cup title in 64 years since 1960. Korea ranked first in the Asian Cup once or twice in 1956 and 1960. Since then, however, Korea has finished runner-up only four times (1972, 1980, 1988, and 2015). 토토사이트 추천

Expectations are high. Korea has many players who play in European big leagues. They say it is the best squad ever. Also, Korea has six consecutive wins in official matches since a friendly match with Saudi Arabia in September last year. Interest in Korea is high even in the local community. This is why a large number of foreign journalists are flocking to the Taegeuk Warriors training site.

Korea began its first training session with K-League players on the 26th of last month. Some European players started to adjust their conditions after taking a break. Other European players joined the base camp of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on the 3rd. The Taegeuk Warriors, who gathered as a “complete group,” entered Qatar on the 10th and sweated for the championship race.

The first opponent is Bahrain. In terms of objective performance, Korea is overwhelmingly superior. Korea is ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings. Bahrain is ranked 86th. In all past matches, Korea is leading the league with 11 wins, four draws and one loss. In the round of 16 teams at the 2019 Asian Cup, the latest showdown, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Jin-soo of Jeonbuk Hyundai also scored to win 2-1. The only loss was the 2007 Asian Cup finals, where they lost 1-2 in the group stage.

Bahrain under coach Juan Antonio Pezzi has formed a squad consisting mostly of players who play in their own leagues. They are led by striker Abdullah Yusuf Heral (Mladavoleslav), and veteran defender Walid al-Hayam (Muharak Club). Bahrain lost to Australia (0-2) and Angola (0-3) in succession at the final mock test ahead of the upcoming event.

Ahead of the showdown, Klinsmann said, “There is no easy match. The No. 1 match that starts the tournament is important. Everyone is a strong team. No. 1 team is weak. No one team is weak. I respect Bahrain. I think it will be a difficult match. If Bahrain comes out defensively, we have to adapt.” Coach Peaches also said, “We are focusing on the match against Korea. We have to overcome such a situation. We will deal with each other as a team. We will give everything we can.”