S. Korea to take on Iran in World Cup qualifier

TEHRAN (Yonhap News) -- South Korea will try to end a road winless streak with a depleted defensive line against Iran in the final round of the 2014 World Cup qualification this week.

Iran will host the Koreans at Azadi Stadium at 8 p.m. Tuesday, or 1:30 a.m. Wednesday Korean time.

South Korea remains unbeaten in three qualifying matches in this phase so far, having beaten Qatar and Lebanon before being held to a draw by Uzbekistan last month. South Korea leads five nations in Group A with seven points, with the top two countries advancing to the World Cup in Brazil.

Iran, Qatar and Lebanon all have four points apiece, but Iran is in second place thanks to the goal difference advantage.

Uzbekistan is at the bottom of the standings with two points.

South Korea has beaten Iran in nine out of 25 meetings, with seven ties, but has never won in Iran, with two losses and two draws.

It also had its defensive problems exposed in Tashkent last month, as speedy Uzbekistan wingers toyed with helpless South Korean wingbacks.

South Korean head coach Choi Kang-hee added some new faces to defense for the Iran match but was dealt an unexpected blow last week when two defenders were injured in their league games and had to be replaced.

Choi said he had been concerned about completing his defensive formation earlier, but once all the players joined the training camp, he stopped worrying.

“We're working on devising smart defensive strategies,” he said. “We will try to make adjustments in accordance with Iran’s offensive tendencies.”

Choi should have much less concern when it comes to his offense. Up front, he is expected to start Son Heung-min, the dynamic forward who has netted four goals in seven games for Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga, the top German league.

Son will likely be joined by Park Chu-young, who has seemed rejuvenated following a recent move from Arsenal in the Premier League to Celta Vigo in Spain.

Choi said Son and other Europe-based players will have to carry the team.

“Son has been outstanding,” the coach said. “He and other players in Europe are all competent players, and as long as they can stay fit, I am not too worried about them.”

On his opponent, Choi noted that Iran's defense has been sturdy, but offensive players haven’t performed to their capabilities.

“I expect them to come out attacking against us, and we're all too familiar with their style of play,” the coach said. “We just have to capitalize on our strengths and be 100 percent ready for this game.”

Choi stressed the importance of the Iran match, South Korea’s last qualifier in 2012.

“If we take this game, it will make the rest of our qualification tournament so much easier,” he said. “If things go wrong here, we could end up chasing other countries next year.”

South Korea is seeking its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance and ninth overall. It was a surprise semifinalist at the

2002 tournament that it co-hosted with Japan and reached the second round at the 2010 event held in South Africa.