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▒ Category
[Awards Review]
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▶ Korea Braces for Tough Match with Turkey
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[2002/03/23 ]
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La Manga, Spain, March 23 (Yonhap) -- Korea's national soccer squad is bracing for a tough match against the Turks in the last of its three friendly matches in Europe, sources following the team said Friday.
The Turkish team -- grouped with Brazil, China and Costa Rica in first-round World Cup matches -- has generally maintained a low profile on the FIFA World Cup circuit, last competing in the finals in the 1954 Swiss games.
Turkey's soccer standards, however, have made remarkable strides in recent years with the Galatasaray Club bringing back the UEFA Cup in 1999 and 2000 and its national team reaching the quarter finals in the EURO 2000.
In the runoff for this year's World Cup it came in second after Sweden, bypassing Austria, Slovakia, Moldova and Macedonia to make it to the finals.
The team is also rated 25th in FIFA's official ranking list, 16 steps above Korea, and adheres to a 4-4-2 system with emphasis on strength along the lines of European teams.
The Turks are also noted for a strong defense, while Hakan Sukur, the 'Bull of the Bosphorous,' leads the cutting edge of the team's attacks.
The squad's teamwork is a source of further strength as most of its top athletes run for either the Galatasaray or Fenerbahce clubs and have worked together on various occasions.
In response, the coaches and ranking officials at the Korea Football Association (KFA) have said that they will field the best players in the Turkish game scheduled for Tuesday.
Korean coach Guus Hiddink is expected to use the results to help him pick his World Cup team and fine tune his strategy for the championship that begins May 31 in Seoul.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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