Alkass Digital
Korea Republic head coach Hwang Sun-hong will take his team into their AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ clash with rivals Japan on Monday wary of the attacking talents of Go Oiwa’s side as the pair battle for top spot in Group B.
A 2-0 victory over China PR for the Koreans and a win by the same scoreline over the United Arab Emirates by the Japanese mean the pair have already secured their places in the knockout rounds, with only the finishing order in the group to be determined.
"We have to take all factors into consideration before playing against Japan,” said Hwang, who has injury concerns over several players including central defender Seo Myung-guan after he was substituted four minutes into the second half of the win over the Chinese.
“It is very difficult but we have to find ways to get through. Japan have good team organisation, they are top class, very good at high pressing and possess a good build-up system.
“They also have a variety of options available for every game and this makes them difficult to play against. We have to also be cautious of their pace."
Lee Young-jun scored both of Korea Republic’s goals against the Chinese to take his tally to three in two games so far and the next goal for the young Taeguk Warriors will be the country’s 50th in total in the six editions of the competition.
With the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 doubling up as the confederation’s qualifiers for the Olympic Games in July and August, both teams will be looking to further strengthen their case to be among the three guaranteed representatives in Paris.
The pair have appeared at every Olympics since 1996 and the meeting at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium could be a precursor to the tournament’s decider with both among the favourites to lift the trophy.
Japan won the last time the two countries faced off when the tournament was played in Qatar in 2016, with Takumi Asano coming off the bench in the final to score two late goals to help secure the title for the Samurai Blue.
Like Hwang Sun-hong’s side, Oiwa’s team are unbeaten in their opening two games of the current campaign and the former Kashima Antlers coach stressed he is giving no consideration to his team’s position when they conclude their group commitments.
“Honestly speaking, I’m not thinking about finishing in first or second place,” he said. “We’re just aiming to win the next game and to do that we’re going to analyse the Koreans and prepare for the match as well as possible.”