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South Korea head into the clash against Kuwait knowing that three points will just about secure a place in the knock-out stages of the tournament and Kuwait need a result to keep their slim hopes of progressing alive. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6.00pm (AEDT).
The Korean’s were expected to walk through the group stage and while they are still on track to progress, coach Uli Stielike will be looking for a vastly improved performance from his side after they limped past Oman 1-nil, in their opening match on Saturday in Canberra.
Stielike’s side struggled to find their rhythm against Oman and were lucky to escape with three points in the end. The German, who replaced South Korean legend Hong Myung-bo after the Tegeuk Warriors failed to win a game at the World Cup, has only had six months with his squad and has said he was happy with the win over Oman, suggesting he prefers a hard, tough match opening game to learn from mistakes and get better.
And with talent such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Son Heung-min, captain and midfield dynamo Ki Sung-yeung, and Cho Young-cheol who scored the winner against Oman, you expect South Korea will get the three points on offer against the Al-Azraq.
In their favour, is their record against the opponents from the Gulf.
Kuwait haven’t beaten the Taegeuk Warriors and Tuesday night in Canberra will be the perfect time to change that, for if they lose, they can forget about the knock-out stages of the tournament.
After scoring the first goal of the tournament on Friday night, the Kuwaitis were over-run by a relentless Australian side in Melbourne. Nabil Maaloul said later the Australian’s deserved the win and you’d be hard pressed to find a punter to disagree.
The Kuwaitis started well but the superior fitness and desire of the Socceroos eventually saw them overrun the Al-Azraq. Maaloul conceded that his side just wasn’t up to the physical or tactical skills shown by the host nation.
The opening day loss is just the start of Maaloul’s concerns heading into the game against the Koreans. Goalscorer Talal Al Fadhel and Khaled Al Qahtani are both under injury clouds, while questions remain about the fitness of key strikers Bader Al Mutawa and Yousef Naser.
All this adds up to a fairly simple equation for Maaloul’s team – win and keep the dreams of progressing deep into the tournament alive, anything less than three points against the wily South Korean’s and they can wave goodbye to securing a place in the knock-out rounds.
Both sides have plenty riding on this one and will be pushing for a result so get involved and join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6.00pm (AEDT).
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