Korea could qualify after two away games in Middle East


South Korea’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup faces a crucial few days, with away matches against the United Arab Emirates on Friday and Lebanon on Tuesday.

Korea, which aims to qualify for its eighth consecutive appearance in the World Cup, is grouped with Kuwait, Lebanon and the UAE in the third round of Asian qualifying.

There are five groups of four teams in the third round with the top two from each group advancing to the final round.

With just three games remaining, manager Cho Kwang-rae’s side sits on top of Group B with seven points followed by Kuwait with five and Lebanon with four. 

Korea can take a huge step toward the final round if it secures three points against the UAE. It beat the UAE 2-1 at home last month and has the historical edge with nine wins and six draws out of 17 previous meetings.

But the UAE, on the verge of falling out of qualification, is expected to put up a strong challenge.

Cho says his team will also be forced to battle the blistering weather and a large home crowd as well.

Playing in the Middle East has always been tricky for Korea. Since 2000, it has won nine, drawn six and lost eight matches in the region.

Cho said he was determined to win Friday’s game to ensure an easy road to the final round of qualification.

During Thursday’s training session, Cho focused more than usual on defense.

“We have to make sure we have a good balance in our defense in order to get a good result on Friday,” he said.

But the imminent task for Cho is finding a replacement for Ki Sung-yueng of Celtic. Ki, the team’s most formidable central-midfielder, has taken a short break due to fatigue and injury issues. The manager hinted that he would ask defender Hong Jeong-ho to play in the center of midfield.

Cho believes the strength and height of the Jeju United defender can help fill the void left by Ki’s absence. Cho is also counting on the team’s captain Park Chu-young.

Although the 26-year-old striker is struggling to get playing time for his club Arsenal, he has been in fantastic form under the national team, scoring five goals in the past three qualifying games. And he is looking to score his fourth international goal in successive games on Friday.

Korea plays the UAE in Dubai at 9:45 p.m., Korean time, before traveling to Beirut to play Lebanon.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)