Milton keynes: South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo will look for his players to make quick transitions in their pre-World Cup friendly match against Ivory Coast near London this weekend.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea and Ivory Coast are scheduled to square off at 2 p.m. Saturday (local time) at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, or 11 p.m. Saturday (South Korean time). It will be South Korea's first match of 2026 and the first of their two tuneup matches this month - with Austria up next in Vienna on Tuesday.

"In order to become a competitive team at the World Cup, making quick transitions from offense to defense will be crucial," Hong said at his prematch press conference Friday at Stadium MK. "Also, our midfield combinations will be a key point. So I will keep a close eye on these areas in the match."

Hong is without one of his top midfielders in Hwang In-beom, who was called up but was then dropped from the national team due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for his Dutch club Feyenoord. Kim Jin-gyu of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and his former Jeonbuk teammate Park Jin-seob, who now plays for Zhejiang FC in China, are expected to get the bulk of the minutes during this European trip.

"This is our first camp in four months, and we've trained for the past four days. We'll see how much progress we've made," Hong said. "We have to be quicker in our transitions. I will see how our players react when they lose the possession of the ball on offense."

At the World Cup, South Korea will face Mexico, South Africa, and a European playoff winner to be determined next week in Group A. The Korea Football Association sought an African sparring partner in the lead-up to the big tournament and found one in Ivory Coast, another World Cup-bound nation.

"Ivory Coast bring power and speed," Hong said. "We had our experience with an African team in a match against Ghana last year, but I think Ivory Coast are on a different level. This match will help us a great deal."

As for the final remaining spot in South Korea's group, the winner of the showdown between Denmark and Czechia, with 20th-ranked Denmark favored over No. 43 Czechia.

Hong said he was particularly impressed with Denmark's speed and pressing and added, "Our match against Austria will help us prepare for the World Cup."