Striker Son Heung-min is keen to play for South Korea at home, but his chances of playing depend on his fitness.
The South Korean captain suffered a groin injury and was only on the bench for the 4-0 friendly win over Tunisia on October 13. After the match, he said he was eager to play in matches taking place in South Korea. "When I have the chance, I will give my best," Son said.
When he joined the team, Son trained separately in the recovery room and only appeared at the official training session before the match against Tunisia. According to Star News Korea , Son has not been in the best physical condition since the beginning of the 2023-2024 season.
Son Heung-min sat on the bench in South Korea's 4-0 win over Tunisia on October 13. Photo: Chosun
The 31-year-old striker has been playing for Tottenham with less than 100% fitness, playing only two full 90-minute matches out of 11 since the start of the season. When the national team training camp began, coach Anger Postecoglou sent out a message that he trusted coach Jurgen Klinsmann to take good care of Son. In response, the South Korean head coach affirmed that he would be careful in using his number one star.
Son has played 113 times for the national team – seventh in South Korea’s history, 23 behind the legendary Cha Bum-kun. He is also third on the all-time goalscoring list with 37 goals, 21 behind Cha.
South Korea will face Vietnam on October 17 at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. South Korea is ranked 26th in FIFA, 69 places above Vietnam. The match has sparked debate in South Korea with doubts about the effectiveness of facing a much lower-level opponent, but one side believes it will be good preparation before the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup.
Son Heung-min warms up with the reserves at the Seoul World Cup Stadium ahead of the match against Tunisia. Photo: Osen
Chosun newspaper said coach Jurgen Klinsmann has kept the same squad since coming to Korea. The match against Vietnam is a good opportunity to give opportunities to young players or players who have not played much in the national team. "Stars like Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in should be given a rest," Chosun commented.
The last time South Korea played a friendly match with a Southeast Asian team was in June 1991, when they defeated Indonesia 3-0. "South Korea has not played a friendly match with a Southeast Asian team in the past 32 years because the benefits are not much," Star News Korea commented.
In the past, South Korea met Vietnam six times. They won five, and lost one (0-1 in 2003, in the 2004 Asian Cup qualifiers with the only goal from Pham Van Quyen). In the last two matches, Vietnam lost 0-2 to China and Uzbekistan.
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