South Korea football coach Uli Stielike said Monday his squad will try to overcome an intimidating atmosphere in China as the teams meet amid deepening tensions over a political issue.
South Korea unveiled a 24-man roster for the two matches in the final Asian World Cup qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup this month. The Taeguk Warriors will travel to China on March 23 and host Syria five days later in Group A play.
South Korea men's football coach Uli Stielike poses for a photo ahead of press conference in Seoul on March 13, 2017. (Yonhap)
The match in Changsha, China, will take place amid growing tensions between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery. In what appears to be retaliatory actions over South Korea's decision to install the US anti-missile system, China has banned sales of tour packages and halted business operations of some South Korean companies.
Stielike expects the atmosphere at Helong Stadium will be intense, but his players will try not to be affected by things happening outside the pitch.
"The match against China will probably be our second most pressure-packed match in this qualifying round after Iran," Stielike said at a press conference in Seoul. "I will try to make sure our players won't be influenced by the stadium atmosphere or other out-of-pitch environment."
Stielike mentioned that an away match against Iran last October will serve as a good experience for the players to prepare for the upcoming qualifier in China. South Korea lost to Iran 1-0 in front 80,000 crowd at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.
"In this qualifying round, our most disappointing match was against Iran, because the players were unable to execute their jobs because they felt the pressure from the stadium atmosphere," he said. "But I think that experience will serve as a good lesson for this match against China. The players should now know how to handle that kind of atmosphere."
With just five qualifiers remaining, South Korea are currently in second place with 10 points after five matches, one behind Iran.
Only the top two nations from the group will earn automatic berths at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, while the third place team will have to go through playoffs.
Stielike said his side will look to make a good start of 2017.
"I know the importance of these first two matches," he said.
"We will start our second half of the qualifying round with a victory."
The German coach, however, lamented that the team has been hit by injuries. South Korea already lost energetic midfielder Lee Jae-sung to a leg injury, while team captain Ki Sung-yueng and Kwak Tae-hwi are on the squad despite recovering from their own injuries.
"It's a pity that the players who are certain to be on the squad were left out," he said. "But that means other players can get opportunities." (Yonhap)