Klinsmann to play Wales-Saudi and two European road games in September…Tunisia in October

The national soccer team’s opponents for its two European road games in September and its first domestic A-match in October have been announced. Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s (GER) side will face Wales and Saudi Arabia in England during the September A matches, followed by Tunisia in October.

The ‘Klinsmann ship’ is now focused on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar next January. Accordingly, the KFA has been looking for sparring partners for the national team during the September and October A matches.

The first opponent is Wales. Klinsmann’s men will take on the European dark horses at Cardiff City Stadium in England on September 8 at 3:45 a.m. KST. The Welsh are ranked 35th by FIFA, seven spots below Korea at 28th, but they are coming off a third-place finish at Euro 2016. This will be the first time Korea and Wales have met in an A-Match.

The association announced on Sept. 16 that Saudi Arabia will be the second opponent for the September A match. The team will take on the Saudis at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England. Saudi Arabia is ranked 54th in the FIFA rankings, the fifth-highest ranking in Asia. The Saudis lead the all-time series against South Korea with six wins, seven draws and four losses.

Saudi Arabia has been making a lot of noise in world soccer lately. At the league level, the kingdom has been investing heavily in superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar, and last year’s 2-1 upset of Argentina in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar.

The team will next face African dark horse Tunisia in the first round of the October A-Match. The Tunisians, currently ranked 31st in the FIFA rankings, were eliminated from the group stage of last year’s World Cup in Qatar with a 1-1 draw, but came from behind to defeat defending champions France 1-0. The Klinsmanns will face Tunisia on October 13. The specific time and place will be determined at a later date. The federation is also looking for an Asian opponent for the second leg of the domestic A-match in October, with Vietnam the favorite. 먹튀검증

The roster for the two European trips in September will be announced on Sept. 28. Players who play in the K League will convene at Incheon International Airport on September 4 and depart immediately, while overseas players will join the team locally.