South Korea football coach Uli Stielike said Monday that the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Syria is a must-win match.
South Korea, ranked 40th in the latest FIFA rankings, will face 95th-ranked Syria at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
South Korean men's national football team head coach Uli Stielike (center) speaks during a press conference at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on March 27, 2017, one day ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Syria in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Both South Korea and Syria are in Group A, along with Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar and China. South Korea are currently second in the group after collecting 10 points from three wins, one draw and two losses. They are four points behind the leaders Iran and one point above No. 3 Uzbekistan.
Syria are in fourth place with eight points on two wins, two draws and two losses. Only the top two teams in the group advance directly to the World Cup in Russia, while the third-place team must go through playoff rounds to earn a berth at the football's showpiece event.
"No one would have expected that Syria would collect that many points after six matches," Stielike said in a press conference at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul. "It's surprising, but Syria's current position shows they are not an easy team."
Syria have so far scored two goals, the worst among six teams in the group, but have allowed only two goals, the second best record behind Iran.
"I think Syria are the most effective team in this final round," Stielike said. "We're only two points ahead of Syria, but this is a must-win match and they are the team that we must beat."
South Korea lead the head-to-head record against Syria with three wins, three draws and one loss, but the recent travails indicate the Taeguk Warriors aren't such heavy favorites.
South Korea were held to a scoreless draw by Syria in their previous meeting last September. And while Stielike's side tumbled with a stunning 1-0 defeat to China with an uninspired performance last Thursday, Syria had a confidence boost with their 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan.
Stielike said his team must stabilize defense at home to collect a win. South Korea have scored eight goals on their turf, the most in the group, but have also conceded five goals.
"I don't think we had a problem with our offense when we've played at home," he said. "But we must think and find solutions to how we can minimize mistakes in defense."
The German said he knows that he is being criticized heavily by avid football fans here for the team's defeat in China last week and another loss would could possibly cost him the job.
"I've been working in this field for a long time, and I also have been in this kind of situation before," he said. "But right now, I am only thinking about going to the World Cup with this team. I know when you are doing this job, you need to take responsibility, so I hear what people are saying."
Captain Ki Sung-yueng said the players are ready to change the bad atmosphere into a positive one with a victory over Syria.
"We're not in a good situation, but this isn't the worst we've been in, either," he said. "I think we have a good chance of rebounding by winning the match against Syria."
The Swansea City midfielder urged the players to prove their talent on the pitch. Ki said the players will show better performances than they did against China.
"Here, we have the best footballers in the country and if you're on this team, you need to show your best performance in this kind of situation," he said. "For us, this is an opportunity to prove that we're good players."
Ki said the players will raise their concentration level so as not to surrender goals in front of the home crowd.
"I think we've conceded goals not because we're less-skilled than the opponents, but we've lacked concentration during the plays," he said. "We now have four matches left (in this final round), and if we keep making the same mistakes, it will be a real problem. But I think we can solve that problem and play a better game." (Yonhap)