Hwang Hee-chan ready to lead line for South Korea against UAE in 2022 World Cup qualifier

Paulo Bento's side sit second in Group A, two points behind leaders Iran, with the top two progressing to Qatar

Hwang Hee-chan playing for South Korea in the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in September. Getty Images

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan has said he is ready to play where needed for his national team in the absence of striker Hwang Ui-jo when South Korea face the UAE in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on Thursday.

South Korea sit second in Group A in the third and final round of the qualifying stage for next year's finals. They trail group leaders Iran by two points after four games. The top two in each group progress to the tournament in Qatar. Next up for Paulo Bento's side is a UAE team who have made themselves tough to beat, having drawn three and lost one - a narrow defeat to Iran.

Korea enter the match without one of their leading forwards after Bordeaux's Hwang was forced to pull out of the squad with a hamstring injury, but they can call on the services of Wolves' in-form Hwang, who has scored four goals in eight Premier League games since joining the club on loan from RB Leipzig.

"It's a shame Ui-jo can't be with us this time. He's done so much for us," Yonhap quoted Hwang as saying. "Whether it will be on the wings or up the middle, I'll be ready to jump in and put on the best performance possible for our fans.

"We have a lot of great players on this team and we'll be prepared for these matches."

South Korea, who have played at every World Cup since 1986, host the UAE in Goyang, where fans will be permitted into the stadium for the first qualifier since the start of the pandemic, before travelling to Doha to meet Iraq five days later.

"I've talked to my teammates already about finally playing in front of fans," Hwang, 25, said. "We're all extra motivated to do well for them. We'll try to put on an entertaining show for our supporters."