SEOUL– Paraguay may have lost to Japan 4-1 in their previous football friendly match last week, but their head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto believes things will be different against South Korea on Friday.
The Argentine tactician said Thursday South Korea are a “world-class” team that can be competitive at the FIFA World Cup and that he was looking forward to seeing his squad test their mettle against their Asian hosts.
Paraguay, world No. 50, will visit 29th-ranked South Korea at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul, for an 8 p.m. kickoff Friday.
“It should be a good match tomorrow. We’re also trying to build a strong team here,” Barros Schelotto said through an interpreter at his online press conference from Suwon World Cup Stadium. “We should be able to learn a great deal from tomorrow’s match. It’s a good opportunity for us to try to execute things we’ve been working on.”
Barros Schelotto said he had watched South Korea’s two previous matches, a 5-1 loss to Brazil last Thursday and a 2-0 win over Chile on Monday. Despite the mixed results, Barros Schelotto said he was reminded once again how strong South Korea can be and singled out their captain, Son Heung-min, as one of the team’s top players.
As for Paraguay’s earlier loss to Japan, Barros Schelotto said his team hadn’t had much time to train for that match after a long trip to Asia and that fatigue had also been an issue.
“This time, we’ve had a week to train, and some players who weren’t there for the Japan match have joined us here,” the coach said. “Since we will have a brand new team tomorrow, I expect a much better result.”
Paraguay’s captain, Gustavo Gomez, echoed the coach’s sentiment and said jetlag is no longer a problem for his team.
This will be the seventh game between the two countries. South Korea have recorded two wins, three draws and one loss so far. Gomez played in the most recent meeting, a 2-0 South Korean win in October 2014, and he said his scouting report on South Korea hadn’t changed much.
“I’ve always thought of South Korea as a strong team,” Gomez said. “They have some speedy players, but we also have players that can run. That’s one of our strengths, and we’re looking forward to playing a competitive match.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency