Korea looking to exploit Germans' weaknesses in football showdown

At the same venue on Thursday, South Korea pounded Fiji 8-0, while Germany played Mexico to a 2-2 draw.

These results mean that South Korea will virtually lock down a spot in the quarterfinals with a win Sunday.

At the pre-match press conference, Shin said Germany will be a tough team but they do have their shortcomings.

"Their players are tall, but they lack agility," he said. "Our players are working on ways to take advantage of that."

Shin noted that "six to seven" Germans are well over 185 centimeters tall. They have 11 players at least 185cm tall, Defender Niklas Suele is listed as the tallest player on either team at 194cm.

South Korea's tallest player is forward Suk Hyun-jun, listed at 190cm. Five other field players are over 185cm.

Shin picked midfielders Serge Gnabry, Max Meyer, and Julian Brandt as the most dangerous Germans.

"Gnabry had a great match against Mexico," the South Korean coach noted. "Meyer didn't stand out against Mexico but he's a talented player."

Shin said Germany may not have shown much cohesion but it's likely to improve as the tournament continues, adding, "We can't let our guard down."

The coach revealed that Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min, who spent parts of eight seasons in Germany, shared his knowledge of Germany players with the rest of the team in a meeting Friday. Son had said Friday he'd been friends with Brandts when they were both playing for Bayer Leverkusen and that he was familiar with other players, too.

"If Son can play to his full capabilities and uses his knowledge to his advantage, then the rest of the team will also compete with more confidence," Shin said. Son was the last player to join Shin's side due to his club commitments, and appeared in only 20 minutes against Fiji. He scored on a penalty in the second half of the rout.

"Son has to be the leader of our team," Shin added. (Yonhap)