South Korea's national soccer team, coached by Hong Myung-bo, will open its World Cup year with a friendly against Ivory Coast on Saturday at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, northwest of London. The team faces challenges from captain Son Heung-min's scoring slump and injuries to key players. They will next play Austria in Vienna on Tuesday.
The 22nd-ranked South Korea will face world No. 37 Ivory Coast in a friendly at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, at 2 p.m. Saturday local time (11 p.m. South Korea time). Coached by Hong Myung-bo, South Korea sought an African opponent ahead of the June World Cup, selecting the sixth-highest ranked African side. The teams previously met in a March 2010 friendly in London, where South Korea won 2-0. South Korea is in Group A with Mexico, South Africa, and a European playoff winner to be determined next week. Ivory Coast is in Group E against Germany, Curacao, and Ecuador. Hong's squad is compromised by injuries and captain Son Heung-min's slump. The 33-year-old Son has no open-play goals in nine matches for Los Angeles Football Club this season, with one penalty to his credit. Hong said earlier this week he still has faith in Son and believes the veteran can deliver for the national team. Alternatives include Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu, who has five goals in eight Turkish league appearances, and Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun, who scored multiple goals earlier this month. Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom was cut before the trip due to a right ankle injury from a Dutch league match. PSG's Lee Kang-in and Borussia Monchengladbach's Jens Castrop, born in Germany to a Korean mother, suffered foot injuries but are expected to feature in at least one match. Hwang's absence turns the games into auditions for midfielders ahead of the World Cup. Typically a midfielder, Castrop was selected as a defender, hinting at Hong's back-three plans. Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae brings a 25-man squad with Europe-based players like Manchester United's Amad Diallo, Nottingham Forest's Ibrahim Sangare, and AS Roma's Evan Ndicka. In January, Ivory Coast reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals, losing 2-3 to 31st-ranked Egypt, and topped World Cup qualifiers with eight wins, two draws, 25 goals scored, and zero conceded in 10 matches.
