South Korea Prepares for FIFA World Cup Clash Against Mexico

ZAPOPAN, Mexico, June 14 (Yonhap) -- After enjoying a day off, South Korea returned to training Sunday to prepare for their next group stage match of the FIFA World Cup against Mexico.

Both South Korea and Mexico won their first matches of Group A last week, with the former beating Czechia 2-1 and the latter blanking South Africa 2-0.

South Korea and Mexico will square off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico, or 10 a.m. Friday (South Korean time). The winner will be in a prime position to progress to the knockout phase as the group winner.

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo ran his players through light recovery work Friday, the day after the opening win, and gave them a full day off Saturday.

Sunday's session started with some conditioning work, followed by passing and shooting drills. A national team official said tactical work got under way in earnest Monday.

Two players working their way back from ankle injuries, defender Kim Tae-hyeon and midfielder Bae Jun-ho, rode stationary bikes on the sidelines and didn't participate in the full session.

Both players may be available against Mexico, the team official said, with Kim in particular making rapid progress despite an early diagnosis that he could be out for the rest of the group stage.

Kim is one of only two left-footed center backs on the team, alongside Lee Gi-hyuk, who played the full match against Czechia. Bae is a backup attacking midfielder.

While Mexico may not have looked as dominant as expected against nine-man South Africa in the opener, pundits believe South Korea will get a much more determined Mexican side this week.

"I have a feeling that Mexico conserved their energy, and they were content to just win the match," KBS analyst Park Chan-ha said. "This is a completely different Mexico team than the one we had a 2-2 draw against last September. The national team cannot afford to be preparing for this match thinking back to that match or the one between Mexico and South Africa. This will definitely be the toughest match for South Korea in Group A."

In particular, Park predicted Robert Alvarado and Brian Gutierrez could be deadly on the right flank on attack.

"South Korea's defense has not been tested much on that side," Park said. "If we can hold down the fort on the right side of the Mexican attack, then we should be able to keep it a close match."

Kim Hak-beom, former head coach of the South Korean men's under-23 national team, also opined that South Korean defenders will have their hands full against skilled Mexican attackers.

"The key for us is to push back and not back down," said Kim, who has been staying in Mexico lately and following Mexico's preparation for the tournament. "The defenders must make it difficult for skilled players to get the ball in the first place."

Kim also said South Korea must look to exploit the space behind Mexico's defense in counterattacks.