South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo (right) speaks during a during a press conference held at a Muscat hotel, Oman, Monday. (Yonhap)
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo said Monday he is bracing for a tough World Cup qualifying match against Oman away from home but he is not about to settle for anything less than a victory.
South Korea and Oman will clash Tuesday for their second Group B match in the third round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat kicks off at 6 p.m. local time, or 11 p.m. in South Korea.
South Korea, world No. 23, got their third round off to a disappointing start last Thursday, when they were held to a goalless draw by 96th-ranked Palestine.
Oman, ranked 76th, lost to Iraq 1-0 last week to begin the third round.
The Palestine match was Hong’s first in his second tour of duty with the national team. He previously coached the Taegeuk Warriors from 2013 to 2014.
Hong was an unpopular choice from the moment he was appointed in July because of lack of transparency during the hiring process by the Korea Football Association. Hong was booed throughout Thursday’s match.
At his prematch presser Monday at a Muscat hotel, Hong said he will try to put behind Thursday’s result.
“It’s difficult to predict the outcome of the match but we’ll do our best to get three points,” Hong said. “It’s going to be a difficult away match, but I am not thinking about anything but winning that match.”
South Korea had only one full day of training with the entire squad before the Palestine match, as some Europe-based stars, including captain Son Heung-min, only arrived back home Tuesday evening. Hong has had a little more time to get his team ready this time.
“I am getting the feeling that the team is rounding into better form than the last match, and the players are feeling better, too,” Hong said. “Having a couple more days to work on our tactics should help us a great deal.”
Hong had said after the Palestine match that he would make some lineup changes against Oman. He said he has the lineup set in his mind except for the left back position, with Seol Young-woo, starter against Palestine, having suffered an apparent leg injury during that match.
Hong said he is not taking Oman lightly but added, “The more important thing is how well we can play.”
“Most of our players have enough experience in situations like this. Our key guys have been through final World Cup qualifying rounds,” Hong said. “I trust these players and I hope they will forget about the last match by the time they play tomorrow.”
There are three groups of six in this phase, and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the World Cup. Teams ranked third and fourth from the three groups will move on to the fourth round for another crack at qualifying for the big tournament.
South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986 in Mexico. (Yonhap)
