Klinsmann, who is attempting to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, will hold the final mock test against Iraq.
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will play a friendly match against Iraq at New York University Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 10 p.m. (Korean time) on the 6th.
This match is the final test in preparation for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup finals, which opens on the 13th, Korean time.
Korea has not won the Asian Cup since losing twice in a row in the first tournament in 1956 and the second tournament in 1960.
In particular, the Middle East team has been held back at every important juncture.
They lost to Iraq in a penalty shootout in the semifinals of the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, lost to Iran in the quarterfinals of the 2004 China Games, and were defeated by Saudi Arabia in the semifinals of the 2000 Lebanon Games.
In the previous 2019 UAE tournament under coach Paulo Bento, they lost to Qatar in the quarterfinals.
This game against Iraq is meaningful in that it provides vaccinations to the Middle East team before the tournament.
It is expected that the best members, including Europeans, will be mobilized for the Iraq War, which is the final mock test before entering Doha, Qatar, the decisive battle site on the 10th.
Klinsmannho was in Seoul on the 26th of last month to prepare his body with domestic players and some overseas players.
After Jeon Hoon-ji entered Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 3rd, key European players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) joined.
Lee Kang-in, who led his team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to victory in the French Super Cup (2-0 win over Toulouse) on the 4th, will become 'complete' when he arrives in the UAE on the morning of the 5th, local time.
Klinsmann said European strikers are in peak condition ahead of the Asian Cup.
Son Heung-min scored his 12th goal of the season in the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) match against Bournemouth that ended early on the 1st, Korean time, and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) scored his 3rd assist in the league in the match against Everton on the 31st of last month.
In addition, Lee Kang-in was responsible for scoring the winning goal that led the team to victory with a left-footed shot in the Super Cup.
It is unclear whether Lee Kang-in, who played full-time in the Super Cup, will participate in the Iraq match, but it appears that members close to the elite will play, led by captain Son Heung-min.
There are concerns about power leaks ahead of the competition, but this is the last chance to get our hands and feet together in the actual game.
In terms of historical record against Iraq, Korea is significantly ahead with 8 wins, 12 draws, and 2 losses. The last loss was 40 years ago in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic final qualifying round (0-1 loss).
The FIFA ranking is also 63rd, lower than Korea (23rd).
