Seoul: The only time South Korea defeated Brazil in men's football was so long ago that Hong Myung-bo, current head coach of the men's national team, was still playing. In fact, Hong was in the starting lineup as a defender and even received a yellow card when South Korea edged out Brazil 1-0 on March 28, 1999, in a friendly match in Seoul. South Korea have since lost five straight matches against the Selecao by a combined score of 17-4. The most recent meeting came in the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where South Korea fell 4-1.

According to Yonhap News Agency, over a quarter century after that monumental win, Hong wouldn't predict an upset win by his 23rd-ranked South Korean team over world No. 6 Brazil when they square off on Oct. 10 in Seoul. But the coach insisted his team will fight the good fight. "Of course, Brazil are a world-class team full of talented players, and we aren't quite as strong," Hong said at a press conference Monday, announcing his 26-man squad for the upcoming matches. Four days after playing Brazil, South Korea will host Paraguay, also in Seoul. "In football, favorites don't always win, and underdogs can pull off upsets anytime. We will be up against a powerful opponent, but I expect we will play a really good match."

Hong's belief in his team comes from South Korea's encouraging performances in the United States against a pair of top-20 opponents last month. They defeated the U.S. 2-0 and then played Mexico to a 2-2 draw. "I think those two away matches were a major confidence boost for our players," the coach said. "I also believe the players have fully embraced our new tactics."

Hong was referring to his continuous experiments with the back-three formation, a departure from the back-four setup that South Korea had used during the Asian World Cup qualifiers. Hong has previously said he wanted to keep the back-three formation in his back pocket for matches against stronger teams in upcoming friendlies or the World Cup, whereas the back-four formation had been enough to get South Korea past underdogs during the regional World Cup qualification.

"It is too early to say whether we're going to use one formation over another at the World Cup," Hong said. "When it comes to tactics, a coach's philosophy is one thing, but things also depend on who's on the team. We will see how effective the back-three system can be against a team like Brazil."

Hong will be without veteran defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo, who suffered a knee injury while playing for Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates last week, but will also welcome back other national team mainstays who missed the September matches due to injuries and poor form. Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord Rotterdam is expected to man the midfield once again after being held out of the squad last month due to a calf injury. Hong said he will monitor Hwang's workload with the national team.

"He is an extremely important player for our team," the coach said. "But since he hasn't been with us since June and we've made some tactical changes, we need to talk at length about what we expect out of him."

Also returning to the national team will be Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan, who was left off the national team last month while struggling to find minutes for his Premier League side. Things have changed for the better for Hwang in recent weeks, prompting Hong to give the 29-year-old forward another look. "He has been a consistent force for the national team for years," Hong said of the player with 73 caps, the fourth-highest total in the current iteration of the squad. "He has been playing better for his club lately."

Mainz 05 midfielder Lee Jae-sung, who picked up a hamstring injury during the U.S. match, is also back. Lee played for his German club over the weekend, and Hong said he will be good to go next month. Lee is one match away from his 100th cap. He has the second-most caps on the team, behind only the captain Son Heung-min, who is currently tied with Hong and former striker Cha Bum-keun at the top of the all-time South Korean list with 136.

Hong caused some controversy last month when he hinted at replacing Son as captain before the World Cup and fell short of committing to Son as his skipper for the foreseeable future. "I think Son Heung-min has been doing a good job, but one person cannot do it all for a team. People around him have to help him out," Hong said. "We need leadership from everyone on the team, and Son has an important role within that."