Doha: South Korea head coach Hwang Sun-hong stressed his team readiness for their match against United Arab Emirates in Group B of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 on Tuesday.
With Japan and China PR also in the group, Hwang said three points are a must if his side are to advance to the knockout stage.
Speaking during pre-match press conference, Hwang said: “All the teams in our group are strong.. “This is a competitive and intense group, so we will need to work hard to qualify for the knockout stage. The first match is very important and I will need to put all my energy into the game.” Hwang said: “We will be working as a unit for every match, and we will try our best for the entire tournament.” South Korea will be missing several Europe-based players due to their club commitments but Hwang believes their replacements from the K League will rise to the occasion.
“Before the tournament, I travelled to Europe to negotiate with the clubs to release the players, but unfortunately they werent able to join the
team,” he said, adding: “As coaches we have backup plans, and we have no problems.”
Source: Qatar News Agency