SEOUL, Predicting a physical match against a desperate opponent this week, Kim Do-hoon, caretaker manager for the South Korean men’s national football team, said Monday his players should take a cool, calm and collected stance.

South Korea will host China in the final second-round match in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) World Cup qualification at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. With China needing at least a draw to join South Korea in the next phase, Kim said bodies could be flying come Tuesday.

“I think they could play us tough and the temperature could rise in the match,” Kim said during his prematch press conference at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. “They are the desperate side. But we have to maintain our composure. It’s our home game. If we stay calm, then we should have the good result at the end.”

South Korea, by virtue of beating Singapore 7-0 last Thursday, have already secured the top spot in Group C and thus a place in the third round, which kicks off in S
eptember. They have collected 13 points through five matches.

China, on the other hand, need at least a draw against South Korea to move on to the next round, which is open to the top two teams from each of the nine groups in the current phase.

China have eight points in second place, while Thailand, who will play underdogs Singapore on Tuesday, have five points. If China and Singapore finish tied in points, they will go to a goal difference tiebreaker. China hold the edge now at +1 to -2, though it could change by Tuesday. Thailand defeated Singapore 3-1 in their first meeting on Nov. 21 last year, while China suffered a 3-0 loss to South Korea the same day.

Kim pointed to his captain Son Heung-min, who accompanied the coach to the presser, as the key player.

“I know the opposing team will prepare for Son Heung-min, but I have faith in his ability to come through and do his part,” Kim said. “With Son leading the way, I’d like the team to play with speed.”

South Korea also have some other business to tak
e care of Tuesday.

At world No. 23, South Korea will try to remain among the three best AFC teams in the next FIFA rankings, to be announced later this month. It will guarantee South Korea one of the top three seeds in the draw for the third round.

Japan (18th) and Iran (20th) are the top two AFC sides, with South Korea 0.03 point ahead of Australia (24th).

The 18 qualifiers will be divided into three groups of six in the third round, and the top three seeds will be kept separated and will each end up in Groups A, B and C.

With Japan and Iran comfortably ahead of South Korea and Australia, grabbing the third seed means avoiding the two tough opponents in the third round.

“All we want to do is to finish this round on a positive note,” Kim said. “I think this will be the match that can show people the direction Korean football will take moving forward. People said Korean football was in a crisis, but I saw hope in the last match.”

Kim’s presence as the team’s second caretaker coach in three months partly
explains why football fans here have adopted some pessimistic outlooks on the program. After firing Jurgen Klinsmann in February, in light of South Korea’s semifinal loss at the AFC Asian Cup, the Korea Football Association has not been able to find his permanent replacement.

It was also later revealed that two of the team’s key players, Son and midfielder Lee Kang-in, had been involved in a scuffle on the eve of the semifinal match at the Asian Cup. The two players have since mended fences, and it took a while before the Korean fan base embraced Lee, midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, again.

Kim said he had been curious to see the dynamics of a seemingly broken locker room for himself, and marveled at the level of professionalism shown by his team.

“These guys are absolutely professional, much more so than we were during my playing days,” the 53-year-old tactician said. “A lot of the players here are willing to sacrifice themselves for the team. I think some of the concerns described in the media were ov
erblown. I think fans can rest assured and keep supporting these players. The future is bright for this group. I’ve been really happy to have coached these players.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency