SEOUL-- As the underdog against South Korea in their upcoming World Cup qualifying match away from home, Lebanon will have all the reason in the world to sit back and play defense, in hopes of securing at least a draw.

But Lebanon coach Ivan Hasek said Monday that's not going to happen.

"If we only play defense, we don't have a chance to make a good result," the Czech tactician said at an online press conference on Monday, the eve of the Group A match against South Korea in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The kickoff is 8 p.m. Tuesday at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul.

"It will be a hard game for both sides," predicted Hasek, who took over Lebanon in July. "Koreans are very fast. I don't want to speak too much about the tactic. Our tactic is a secret."

South Korea, ranked 36th, got held to a scoreless draw by the 70th-ranked Iraq last Thursday. Lebanon, coming in at 98th in the FIFA rankings, also had a 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates.

Asked if Iraq's earning the draw would help his own players' confidence, Hasek repeated, "It'll be a hard game."

"We know about the quality of Korean players," Hasek said. "We need to stop everybody."

Source: Yonhap News Agency