South Korean coach Uli Stielike said medical problems are badly hampering his preparations for his side’s final Group A game against Australia on Saturday, which will decide who wins the group.
Stielike, who had to make seven changes for the 1-0 win over Kuwait through injuries and a flu bug, said he would have to consult medical staff before making his final selection.
Both teams are already qualified for the quarter-finals, but Korea must win to prevent the hosts from topping the group.
“I’ve waited every day for the past five days for the medical reports,” Stielike said.
“It’s like a pilot who is flying in the afternoon looking for the weather forecast. Every morning, I’m sitting with our medical department.”
Bayer Leverkusen forward Son Heung-min and Koo Ja-cheol are both back in training after recovering from illness, while Kim Chang-soo appears to have recovered from a knock.
Goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon also sat out the Kuwait game with illness, and Lee Chung-yong is out of the tournament with a hairline fracture of his leg.
“For Saturday’s game, I’m sitting here now with a lot of doubts and waiting for the afternoon training,” Stielike said.
“On Thursday, it was the first time for five days that Ja-cheol and Heung-min and Chang-soo did the first training session, so we have to wait as the players consult the doctor, because we cannot take any risk looking at the quarter-final.
“If you look at the details, the statistics, Australia is the best team in the ratings of passes, of challenges, of tackling, of headers, of a lot of things.
“But also, the tournament after this game tomorrow will come into another phase and we will have to look at what happens from the quarter-finals.”
Saturday's other game sees Kuwait play Oman. Both sides are already eliminated.
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