South Korea face Ivorian test

One of Nigeria’s Group B opponents at this year’s FIFA World Cup, South Korea have lined up an international friendly match against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

The match comes up on March 3 in London, England at Loftus Road, the home ground of English Championship side Queens Park Rangers.

It is the first time South Korea and Cote d’Ivoire will be meeting at full international level and while the Taeguk Warriors will be hoping to gain valuable experience from the encounter against the Ivorians ahead of their World Cup game against the Super Eagles billed for June 22 in Durban, the Elephants will be hoping to do likewise from the Koreans as they will be competing in Group G at the World Cup where they have for company a North Korean side staging a return to the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

The South Koreans are however presently in Japan competing at the East Asian Football Championship and will on Wednesday come up against China.

It will be the second game of the championship for the tournament’s defending champions following Sunday’s 5-0 whitewash of Hong Kong. Earlier on Saturday, the Chinese had forced Japan to a goalless draw in the tournament’s opening match.

The Taeguk Warriors will end their campaign at the championship with a game against the hosts on February 14.

Optimism

Meanwhile, South Korea’s coach Huh Jung-Moo has expressed confidence that his team will get the required results over Group B rivals Nigeria, Argentina and Greece, and qualify for the knockout rounds of the World Cup.

The Koreans have never gone beyond the first round of the World Cup except back on home soil in 2002 when they made it as far as the semi-finals. South Africa 2010 will be the Taeguk Warriors’ seventh successive World Cup appearance and Huh is confident of leading his side into the knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil, even at the expense of the Super Eagles.

“It is one of the toughest groups but we are confident that we can complete our mission,” said Huh in an interview with FIFA.com. “After going through Asia’s fierce qualifying campaign to seal our spot at the World Cup, the team is competition hardened and by the time the tournament kicks off, we will be prepared to challenge all odds.”