Guadalupe: South Africa head coach Hugo Broos stated on Tuesday that his players are prepared to capitalize on the weaknesses of South Korea in their upcoming crucial Group A FIFA World Cup match this week.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the decisive match between South Africa and South Korea is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday (local time) at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, northeastern Mexico. South Korea currently sits in second place with three points and needs only a draw to advance to the knockout stages. In contrast, South Africa is in last place with one point, having suffered a 2-0 loss to Mexico and a 1-1 draw against Czechia. To progress, South Africa must secure a victory over South Korea or at least draw, hoping for favorable results from Mexico and Czechia.

Broos, a native of Belgium, emphasized his focus on winning. "I think it's a special game for both teams. We have to win the game," he expressed at the prematch press conference. "It's difficult because of the opponent. It's a very good team. It's a very disciplined team. So let's hope that we can achieve our best level, and that at the end of the game we have a victory."

Broos revealed that his knowledge of South Korea was limited just a month ago, as the two nations have never met at the senior level. However, he praised his staff for their thorough analysis of the Asian side. "With the technical things and technological things that you can use, you can find every detail and everything what you want. So we are well-informed," he noted. "So there is nothing that escapes us of what South Korea can do and how they are doing it. The analysis has been done so it's now up to us to, first of all, block their qualities and secondly, to use their weaknesses. We are very motivated, and we know what we have to do. That is winning and only winning."

While Broos refrained from discussing specific tactics against South Korea, he acknowledged, "The only thing I can say is that South Korea is a very disciplined and a good physical team. So they are running for 90 minutes," he said. "Everyone knows his role in the team, and they do it very disciplined."

Broos, who has been leading South Africa since May 2021, is participating in his first and "probably my last" World Cup at the age of 74. He expressed that his personal legacy is secondary to the team's success. "It's not important how I will be remembered. The most important thing is that we win tomorrow," he stated. "Also, I want to be in the second round. It's my first and probably my last World Cup so I want to do well, and I want success."

South African midfielder Sphephelo Sithole expressed confidence and determination ahead of the match. "I think everybody knows that the World Cup is the biggest stage of football. The intensity here is very high, and obviously, we are playing against a very good side," Sithole said. "We know their qualities, and we know how they play because of what we did with our analysis. I think we are more than motivated for that, and we just can't wait for tomorrow."