South Korea's quest for their eighth consecutive Olympic appearance in men's football will begin this week in Qatar.

Coached by former international Shin Tae-yong, the South Korean men's under-23 team will open the 2016 Asian Football Confederation

U-23 Championship in Qatar against Uzbekistan. The kickoff at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (local time), which is 1:30 a.m. Thursday in South Korea.

The two countries are paired in Group C, along with Yemen and Iraq. The top two countries from the group will reach the quarterfinals.

The championship doubles as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Only those finishing in the top three will advance to the Olympics.

Olympic football is open only to players under age 23, but teams can each field up to three overage players as "wild cards."

South Korea played two test matches in Dubai last week, coming away with a 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates and then a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia. On offense, Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ryu Seung-woo and Salzburg forward Hwang Hee-chan -- the team's only players based in Europe -- were the spark plugs, joined by Suwon midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon, who emerged as a key playmaker for the senior national team last year.

The defense, on the other hand, left more to be desired in terms of positioning and spacing. The backs will likely have their hands full against Uzbekistan, led by prolific scorer Igor Sergeev.

The 22-year-old has also starred for Uzbekistan's senior team, with 10 goals in 24 appearances for the main squad. He has also been playing in the qualifying tournament for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Husniddin Gafurov, who made his senior international debut two years ago at age 19, could also be an offensive threat.

After Uzbekistan, South Korea will face Yemen on Saturday and Iraq on Jan. 19, all in Doha. (Yonhap)