Lee Kang-in, the core of the midfield, is absent and Hong Myung-bo, the head coach, is

Lee Kang-in, the core of the midfield, is absent and Hong Myung-bo, the head coach, is

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"I'm thinking of using 'fresh' players among the players I have now."
On the 24th, a day before the eighth round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the national soccer team, expressed his intention to appoint a new player at an official press conference held at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Gyeonggi Province. "It is natural that other players will be in the injured player position," he said, "There are a few fresh players."

The Korean national team has been suffering from injuries sustained by key players in recent months. In the seventh game against Oman, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) of the midfield was out due to a left ankle injury and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) was out due to a left hamstring injury. Jung Seung-hyun (Al-Wasl) was out of the team's roster after suffering a muscle injury in his left calf during the training session before the match against Oman.

In a sudden absence in the midfield, head coach Hong Myung-bo expressed his concern, saying, "We can't ignore the organizational power, so we need to balance it well and prepare." Regarding the "harmony of old and new players" mentioned at the time of the announcement of the A-match list in March, he explained, "I can't clearly show you, but we will be able to utilize the prepared players only when the game flows according to our plan."

Currently, the national team has a large number of young players who play in the English Championship, including Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), winger Yang Min-hyuk (Queens Park Rangers), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), who were born in 2006, on board, so chances are high that they will be hired.

Meanwhile, Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who missed the match against Oman due to double injury, is expected to play in the match against Jordan. "Hwang is in better physical condition than expected and has strong will," Hong said. "At some point, we need to protect the player. We will make a decision through training today."

We are also thoroughly preparing preparations for Jordanian striker Moussa Altamari (Stade Ren). Korea, which was eliminated last year by giving Altamari one goal and one assist in the semifinals of the Asian Cup, plans to focus on blocking him this time. Hong called Altamari a "high-caliber, threatening player" and stressed that "how well he marks Altamari will be a very important showdown."
Lee Jae-sung, who attended the conference together, said, "Altamari is a really good player and a player who gave us pain," adding, "In order not to give a threatening chance, the whole team should join forces to prevent it rather than one person blocking it."

Only when Korea wins the match against Jordan can it confirm its advance to the World Cup finals early on. If even Jordan cannot catch up with Oman at home, it will be burdened by the away match in Iraq and the home match in Kuwait scheduled for June. 안전놀이터

"Players' conditions have improved a lot. Overall, I think everything has improved compared to the first game," Hong said. "We will definitely conclude the game with a victory so that the national team can be a little supportive at a time when the national disaster is serious due to forest fires."

"I took a short break to recover my body and mind, and after watching the video, I shared my shortcomings with the team and the coaches," Lee Jae-sung said. "I focused on that for two days. I will make sure to win and give joy to my fans."