South Korea Set for Qualifier
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Football fans will be staying up late tonight, as the South Korean national football team faces the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a 2010 South Africa World Cup Asian qualifier in Dubai, the UAE on Sunday at 1:15 a.m. (KST).
South Korea tops Asian Group 2 with a record of 3-2-0 and 11 points, followed by North Korea and Saudi Arabia, each at 3-1-2 and 10 points. The United Arab Emirates is at the bottom of the five-nation group at 0-1-5 and 1 point and has been eliminated from cup contention.
South Korea has met the Mid-Eastern nation 15 times, and holds an 8-5-2 edge.
Manager Huh Jung-moo said the Koreans will try to exploit the Middle East nation's weakness on the wings.
``To go along the sidelines and attack from behind can be effective,'' Huh said after watching Germany defeat the United Arab Emirates 7-2 in a friendly.
``We may score goals easily if we attack their weak points,'' midfielder Lee Chung-yong said.
South Korea's best 11 may be similar to the starters from Wednesday's friendly with Oman. Huh said he will keep the 4-4-2 formation in the game.
Lee Keun-ho and Park Chu-young will start at the striker positions and Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong will play on the wings. Center midfielders Cho Won-hee and Kim Jung-woo and defenders Lee Young-pyo, Lee Jung-soo, Cho Yong-hyung, Oh Beom-seok are all expected to start. Lee Woon-jae will be the goalkeeper.
``I did not play well against Oman, but I will perform better against the United Arab Emirates,'' Lee Keun-ho said.
Huh said the team can't afford to slip against the last-place squad.
``I told my players that we need to focus on winning against the United Arab Emirates. We need to come back home with three more points,'' the 54-year-old said.
``Our target is always to win when we step out on the field. We are looking at maximum points against South Korea and Iran in the last two games,'' UAE manager Dominique Bathenay told The Gulf News, Thursday. ``South Korea and Iran will be difficult, and without a quality player like Esmail Mattar it will be even more tough.''
South Korea can clinch its seventh straight World Cup berth with a win and a North Korean draw against Iran on Saturday night in Pyongyang. They will join Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina and Spain as the only nations to qualify for the tournament seven consecutive times.
If South Korea loses or draws, the competition will get tougher.
It will also be interesting to see if both Koreas can reach the world's biggest football festival.
North Korea is in good position to qualify for the first time since they advanced to the quarterfinals in 1966 in England.
``I think both Koreas can advance to the World Cup,'' North Korean striker and J-League Kawasaki Frontale member Jung Dae-se said.
South Korea will return home to Seoul to host Saudi Arabia on the June 10 and Iran on June 17 in its final two qualifiers.