The South Korean national soccer team’s road to the World Cup continues in November. On Nov. 14 and 19, the national team will play Kuwait and Palestine, respectively, in the fifth and sixth matches of the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2024 Asia third qualifying group. Both matches will be away from home.
The two matches will round out the group’s return points. The team currently sits in first place in Group B with 10 points, so a win on both of these trips would virtually guarantee them a spot in the seventh tier of the World Cup. It’s a crucial schedule. Hong is expected to announce his squad on November 4.
Troubled. Aces are not shaking off injuries. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) are still waiting 카지노사이트 모음 to be called up.
First up, captain Son Heung-min suffered a hamstring injury while traveling with his club late last month and hasn’t played in an October A match since. He returned to action against West Ham last time out after missing three official Tottenham matches. He was back to his world-class best, setting up goals and being involved in every goal, until he fell again. “He’s still not 100 percent,” Tottenham manager Enzi Postecoglou said, confirming the injury.
As with the October schedule, Hong will likely start Son Heung-min and then wait to see how things go before deciding on inclusions and exclusions. Tottenham will face Aston Villa and Ipswich on November 3 and 10, respectively. If Son is unable to play in these two games, it could be difficult for him to make the squad. Even if he does play in these two games, it will be a cautious decision as he has already suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury.
Hwang Hee-chan is no different. Hwang suffered an unexpected injury in an A match in October. He suffered a left ankle injury in a rough tackle by an opponent against Jordan and had to be substituted. “He has a problem with his ankle ligaments and will be out for up to three weeks,” Wolverhampton manager Gary O’Neill said after Hwang returned to the team. Three weeks is about a week before the match against Kuwait. It would be difficult for Wolverhampton to give him a call-up to the national team, as he was injured on international duty. Add to that the fact that Ueom (Swansea City) was also injured on the same day and is expected to be out for six weeks with a left knee injury, and it’s hard to see him making the squad.
Hong must also think of a Plan B. Luckily, the A-League in October saw two consecutive wins with young blood. Oh Hyun-kyu (Hengk) and Oh Se-hoon (Machida) opened the scoring, while Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) shone in Son Heung-min’s place. They will play a key role in the November A match as well.
We can also look forward to a fresh face. Hong traveled abroad last week. He did what he didn’t do in September, which was to inspect the “Korean Legion” in Europe and the Middle East. He checked out the performances of striker Lee Young-joon (Grasshopper), who plays in Switzerland, and defensive midfielder Won Doo-jae, who recently moved to Korpakan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Early next month, the team will travel to K League 1 to check the status of domestic players before finalizing the roster.
It will be interesting to see if Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan will return from injury to add wings to the squad.