The Korea Herald

지나쌤

S. Korea comes up with experimental lineup vs. England

By Song Su-hyun

Published : May 26, 2017 - 20:02

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Host South Korea will use an experimental lineup against England in their final group stage match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup here on Friday.

The starting lineup released by FIFA shows four South Korean players will make their first start at the U-20 World Cup. Head coach Shin Tae-yong also made six changes from their previous lineup against Argentina.

Shin previously said his side will come up with new tactics that have never been used before when they face England at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul. The match will start at 8 p.m.

Two FC Barcelona prospects -- Lee Seung-woo and Paik Seung-ho -- will start the match from the bench, as Shin previously announced. They've each scored a team-high two goals so far in this men's youth football competition that kicked off last Saturday.

To fill their void, Shin will deploy forward Ha Seung-un next to Cho Young-wook, South Korea's main striker who has yet to score after two matches. 

On defense, 194-centimeter tall defender Lee Jung-moon will make his first appearance, while energetic midfielder Han Chan-hee will also get his tournament debut.

South Korea have already clinched a knockout stage spot from Group A after beating Guinea 3-0 and edging out Argentina 2-1. The young Taeguk Warriors, however, are looking to win the group so that they can meet with a relatively easy opponent in the round of 16. England, with one win and one draw, can finish atop the group if they defeat the hosts.

South Korea have never finished the U-20 World Cup group stage with three wins. 

In the 24-team tournament, which runs until June 11, the top two from each group and four best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16. (Yonhap)