Tuesday 142 Asian Cup 1/8 finals
[F1] Saudi Arabia VS South Korea[E2]
Time: 00:00, January 31
Saudi Arabia
Today the Premier League starts the midweek double match, along with the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. In the previous Asian Cup 1/8 finals, Tajikistan eliminated the United Arab Emirates, and today's minor league section naturally continues to focus on the Asian Cup. The most watched "famous coach duel" in the 1/8 finals, Mancini vs. Klinsmann. One is the Italian coach with the world's highest annual salary, and the other is the German coach who has set the order to win the Asian Cup. The variables of this game are probably more off the field than on the field.
In yesterday's pre-match press conference, Klinsmann was also explaining Bahrain's smile in the third game of the group stage. He stressed that he smiled because he was afraid that the equaliser would become a reality, while Mancini stressed that South Korea are the strongest opponents the Saudi team will face in the cup competition, and the Saudi team will definitely give it their all. However, he also mentioned South Korea's all-time record six goals conceded in the group stage, but Kim Young-kwon said the knockout line defense would not give the Saudis a chance to score.
The Saudi team has won seven of its last eight games and drawn one, and more than 30,000 Saudi fans are expected to flock to Doha, almost playing at home. The two teams have met four times before in the history of the Asian Cup, with the only knockout game coming in the 1988 Asian Cup final, when Saudi Arabia won the championship on penalties after 0-0. The last time the two teams met was in September last year, when South Korea beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 at Newcastle, the second game under Roberto Mancini. The good news for South Korea is that Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Jin-so are back from injury, while left-back Lee Kee Di is also available but is likely not to start. Kim Jin-so starts at left-back, the more balanced Seo Young-woo is in charge of the right, and Hwang Hee-chan will form an attacking trident with Son Heung-min and Cho Gyu-sung.
Klinsmann is eyeing Saudi striker Al-Dosari, who beat Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar, and the 33-year-old left winger is a serious test for South Korea's defence. Saudi Arabia's Thambakti and left winger Gharib have recovered from injury, and he will still play a back three and respond in a 352 formation. Although the South Korean team made the draw half to the half, due to the main injury recovery, the Saudi team's defense is solid, Mancini focused on the penalty practice, and the South Korean team needs to be cautious if they want to win in 90 minutes. It is expected that even if a win is at most 1 goal, it will be difficult to score more goals.