Klinsmann’s men will look for a win over El Salvador with Son Heung-min in the lineup.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will take on El Salvador on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the second of two June A matches.
Klinsmann’s side, which took charge in March, is desperate for a win in El Salvador after going winless in their previous three matches.
After a 2-2 draw against Colombia in March and a 1-2 loss against Uruguay, Klinsmannhoe suffered an unexpected 0-1 defeat against Peru in Busan on March 16.
Masu-girl can’t wait any longer to win.
It’s been more than six months since South Korea last won an A-match, the final group game of the Qatar 2022 World Cup against Portugal on Dec. 3.
If they don’t get the result they want against El Salvador, extending their winless streak will be no small task for Klinsmann.
In the second half of the year, the team will play two games in each of the three A-match periods in September, October, and November, when the focus will be on drawing up a ‘winning blueprint’ for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar next January.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom (Olympiakos) summed up the mood of the team when he said, “A lot of players are hungry for a win right now.”
With victory on the agenda, Klinsmann is expected to field a full-strength squad against El Salvador, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who missed the Peru game after undergoing sports hernia surgery.
However, Son will come on as a substitute rather than a starter and will be looking to score in the second half.
“He’s getting better, but he’s not ready to play 90 minutes yet,” Klinsmann said at the press conference. “We’ll see how the game goes, but I think he’ll come on in the second half.”
Heung-min, who had been training separately in the days leading up to the Peru game with a focus on recovery, trained “full time” with his teammates on the 17th and 18th.
Luckily, El Salvador is not a daunting opponent.
El Salvador is ranked 75th in the FIFA rankings, 48 spots lower than South Korea at 27th.
Their recent form hasn’t been great either.
El Salvador is on a five-game losing streak. From last year to this year, they have two wins, three draws, and 10 losses.
In their most recent game, an exhibition against Japan on March 15, they lost 0-6 after having a man sent off in the first three minutes.
However, El Salvador is an “unknown quantity,” having never faced South Korea before.
Players to watch out for include right fullback and captain Alex Roldan, who is in his sixth season with the Seattle Sounders of the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS), and 21-year-old striker Brayan Hill, who scored eight goals in the Colombian first division last year.
El Salvador’s desire for victory will be no less than that of the Taegeuk Warriors, as they will be looking to prepare for the North and Central American Gold Cup, which kicks off on April 24. 메이저사이트
Meanwhile, the grounds of the Daejeon World Cup Stadium are the “land of the undefeated” for South Korea.
South Korea have won three and drawn three of their six A matches here, starting with a 2-2 draw against Nigeria on September 13, 2001.
In their most recent match, a 2-0 win over Chile last year, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and Son Heung-min scored consecutive goals.
