Korea Republic vs Vietnam
After going winless in his first five games in charge of South Korea, Jurgen Klinsmann finally got the monkey off his back, and he is keen to make it three victories on the bounce when they host Vietnam for an International Friendly at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on Tuesday night.
In a recent press conference, Klinsmann caught the ire of Vietnamese fans after calling their national team weak. Misconstrued or not, Klinsmann’s comment was valid since South Korea are currently 28th in the FIFA men’s rankings, which is 67 places higher than Vietnam.
This should light a fire under Vietnam, but the SBOTOP International Friendly 2023 odds are stacked against the Golden Star Warriors.
In stark contrast to South Korea’s recent form, Vietnam have had a poor run of International Friendly 2023 results recently, with back-to-back 2-0 losses against China and Uzbekistan. Needless to say, Vietnam have nowhere to go but up from here.
Talking Points
Lee Kang-In and Kim Min-Jae captaining for South Korea
Heung-Min Son did not play in South Korea’s 4-0 victory against Tunisia, and we won’t be surprised if he takes the day off again on Tuesday.
Because he has dealt with niggling injuries lately, Son’s load is being managed by Jurgen Klinsmann and co., which will come as welcome news if you’re a Tottenham supporter since Ange Postecoglou is doing the same.
In Tottenham’s past four games, they have brought Son off in the final 10 to 20 minutes since he has returned from international action.
But still, even without Heung-Min Son, South Korea remain a huge mismatch for Vietnam, with the likes of Lee Kang-In and Kim Min-Jae leading the way.
With the four-time Premier League Player of the Month awardee absent, Kim Min-Jae has been wearing the captain’s armband for the Taeguk Warriors. He continues to break barriers, as he is already one of the finest defenders in the world, having been a key figure in Napoli’s Scudetto run last term.
Meanwhile, Lee Kang-In has stepped up in Son’s absence by playing in a more advanced position to be South Korea’s No. 10. The PSG baller was instrumental in their pummeling of Tunisia, scoring the first two goals to set the tone in their favour.
Cho Gue-Sung is expected to remain in the starting XI as their lone striker, but Klinsmann can call up Hwang Ui-Jo from the bench to deliver the goals just like he did for them yesterday.
Vietnam suffer huge lineup blow
Philippe Troussier would find it difficult to keep up against the Taeguk Warriors because they don’t have enough in their weaponry, especially after learning that their best attacker, Nguyễn Tiến Linh, is not available on Tuesday.
Nguyễn Tiến Linh, in his first match under Troussier, came off the bench but was given a straight red card in the 89th minute after hitting a Chinese defender with an elbow in their exhibition game on Tuesday.
He was eligible to play in their loss to Uzbekistan since it was an unofficial friendly, so the red card ruling applies to their upcoming game against South Korea.
The Becamex Binh Duong striker is currently third on the Golden Star Warriors’ all-time scoring list with 18 goals (level with Nguyễn Hồng Sơn) in 39 caps. He should be able to move up to second place soon after he serves his suspension.
History
It’s no surprise that South Korea have owned Vietnam head-to-head. In their six previous meetings since August 1996, the Taeguk Warriors have won five matches, while the Golden Star Warriors have only won once.
Vietnam’s lone win against South Korea in all competitions was a 1-0 result in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifying tournament on October 19, 2003, with Pham Van Quyen scoring the only goal of the contest.
Unfortunately for Vietnam, they ultimately didn’t qualify for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. On the other hand, South Korea qualified, and they finished sixth after advancing to the quarter-finals.
The Taeguk Warriors won the first two editions of the AFC Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960, but they haven’t won a gold medal since. They came close several times, as they were runners-up in 1972, 1980, 1988, and 2015.
Meanwhile, the Golden Star Warriors have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup twice before. In 2007 and 2019, Vietnam progressed to the quarter-finals.
South Korea and Vietnam have a chance to meet again in the AFC Asian Cup, as both have qualified for the 2023 edition, which will be held in Qatar in January 2024.
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