Hong Myung-bo will form a new national team ahead of the match against Jordan and Iraq during the A-match in October.
The Korea Football Association said on Sunday that it will announce the list of players who will play in the third Asian qualifying match for the FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. against Jordan and Iraq at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan on March 10.
The FIFA ranking is much higher than that of Iraq (55th) and Jordan (68th), but it is considered the toughest team in the third qualifying round. In particular, it is a rematch with Jordan after the 0-2 defeat in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in February.
Iraq is also considered a Middle East team with solid strength, including successful advance to the round of 16 at the Asian Cup. At that time, Jordan was the opponent of the round of 16.
South Korea is tied in Group B with Kuwait, Palestine, Oman, and Iraq. South Korea, which reorganized into Hong Myung-bo, who was appointed in July, drew 0-0 with the Palestinians at home during the A-match period in September and beat Oman 3-1 on the road.
In the European leagues, Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) are expected to keep their positions firmly by showing steady performances in their teams. However, with Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) unable to get a chance this season, attention is focused on whether Jung Woo-young, who was not called for a transfer to Union Berlin (Germany) in the last convocation, will be chosen again. Jung Woo-young appealed to head coach Hong Myung-bo by scoring a goal against Hoffenheim in the league on the 22nd.
When selecting four new faces, including Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon), at the first national team convocation in September, Hong said, “We will continue to invite these players to the national team to train, and adapt well in the atmosphere and relationship with the players to make the national team feel comfortable.” He emphasized his will to run a future-oriented national team that constantly gives young players opportunities in positions such as left and right fullbacks, which are the concerns of Korean soccer. 먹튀검증
Meanwhile, the stadium where the match against Iraq will take place is scheduled to be the Seoul World Cup Stadium. However, there is a possibility that kick-off is possible at another stadium. Amid complaints from national team players including Son Heung-min (Tottenham) over grass conditions at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the Korea Football Association has sent an official letter to AFC saying that it can move its home stadium to Iraq.