South Korea faces another uphill battle in the final Asian qualification round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as it readies to host Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
The clash between the top two nations in Group A in the ongoing round will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
It will be South Korea’s penultimate World Cup qualifier. For the finale, it will host Iran in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 18.
The country is chasing its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, and a win over Uzbekistan would be a major step forward for South Korea.
South Korea eked out a 1-1 draw against underdog Lebanon last week in Beirut.
Despite the disappointing result, South Korea moved to the top of Group A. After six games, South Korea has 11 points on three wins, one loss and two draws.
Uzbekistan has an identical record but is in second place because South Korea has the edge in the goal difference tiebreaker.
In their previous meeting in Tashkent last September, South Korea and Uzbekistan played to a 2-2 draw.
In ensuing matches, South Korea has played subpar football, losing to Iran 1-0 in October and barely beating Qatar 2-1 with a last-gasp goal in March.
Against Lebanon, South Korea also needed a goal late in the match for the tie.
Head coach Choi Kang-hee is expected to overhaul his lineup from the Lebanon match. The defense was quite porous against Lebanon, with Shin Kwang-hoon, the starting right wingback, struggling in particular to keep opposing forwards at bay.
On offense, starting forward Lee Dong-gook hit the goal post but otherwise did little against Lebanon, and could start the upcoming match on the bench.
In his stead, Son Heung-min, who led his Bundesliga club, Hamburger SV, with 12 goals in the 2012-13 season, will likely get the nod.
Despite his scoring prowess in the top German league, Son has played sparingly under Choi on the national team.
He scored the last-second winner against Qatar in March and provided an offensive spark against Lebanon last week, both times as a second-half substitute. (Yonhap News)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
