Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan sortie without fail… Klinsmann Ho announces starting lineup for China match

[골닷컴] Reporter Kang Dong-hoon = Klinsmann-ho announced the starting lineup ahead of the China game. Without fail, ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), ‘Golden Boy’ Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and ‘Bull’ Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) will appear. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) revealed his determination to win the game against China by bringing out the best lineup.

The Korean national soccer team, led by Coach Klinsmann, will play an away match in the second leg of the Group C group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round against China at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Guangdong Province, China, at 9 p.m. (Korean time) on the 21st.

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Previously, Klinsmann scored a hot goal in the first leg of the group C group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia region second round against Singapore held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 16th, signaling a good start with a 5-0 win.

If Klinsmann wins the difficult trip to China following the game against Singapore, the path to the 2026 North and Central America World Cup is expected to become easier. By raising the mood to its peak with five consecutive wins in international matches, they can continue to cruise toward their goal of winning the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup to be held in January next year.

The starting lineup was announced about an hour before kickoff. Coach Klinsmann came out with a 4-4-2 formation as usual. Son Heung-min and Cho Gyu-seong (Midtjylland) will play as the front two top players. A flat midfield is formed with Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Kang-in on the left and right sides, respectively, and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) and Hwang In-beom (Crvena Zvezda) in the center.

From the left, Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Jeong Seung-hyun, and Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai) form the defensive line. The goal is guarded by Seung-gyu Kim (Al-Shabab). Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic), Lee Soon-min (Gwangju FC), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), and Hwang Ui-jo (Norwich City) will start on the bench.

Coach Klinsmann made two changes to the lineup compared to the previous game against Singapore. First of all, Lee Jae-seong, who had started every game since Klinsmann was launched, was removed and Park Yong-woo was put in. Park Yong-woo works with Hwang In-beom. Also, Kim Tae-hwan, not Seol Young-woo, will be the starting right fullback.

Coach Klinsmann emphasized, “People say China is an easy opponent, but there is never an easy game in soccer,” and added, “It is more important to prepare carefully, play the game professionally, and get points than to think about winning.” was on guard.