Australia and South Korea fired up for top of table tie

DOHA: Australia and South Korea both talked up their chances yesterday of winning their blockbuster Asian Cup showdown, setting the scene for the biggest clash of the tournament so far.

The two Asian heavyweights, both seen as potential tournament winners, meet at the Al Gharafa Stadium today in a game that could decide who tops Group C.

Australia thrashed India 4-0 in their opening match while the Koreans earned a 2-1 victory over Bahrain.

Korean coach Cho Kwang-rae said his team had studied the Socceroos and believes they know how to beat them.

“Korea and Australia both won their first games and I think it will be difficult for us,” he said.

“But one thing for sure is that all 23 of my players have a good understanding of how they should approach the game, that is the strength that we have.

“Australia are highly organised in the defensive aspect of their game and when they attack they change the ball from right to left and left to right a lot.

“But we have the strength to counter this and I think my players will be able to cope with this tomorrow (Friday).”

Both teams feature top-quality players, with Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung and Bolton’s Lee Chung-yong the stand-outs for Korea while Australia will be looking for more heroics from Everton man Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell.

Australia’s German coach Holger Osieck was reluctant to give too much away about his tactics at his pre-match press conference, but admitted South Korea were formidable opponents.

“It is no secret that the Korean team is a very, very high hurdle. They are strong but we are strong so we will see who will be better on the day,” he said.

“We know about individuals in their team and their quality. We have our plan already. But if I look at my team, we also have quality players and it will be interesting to see who is in the best form tomorrow.

“We are both strong teams and it is always a special challenge when you clash, and we want to prove that we are better,” he added.

Whoever tops Group C will play the second-placed team from Group D in the last eight, which could be any one of Iran, North Korea, United Arab Emirates or Iraq.