KUNSHAN: South Korea coach Kim Bong Gil hopes his charges can recover in time for the AFC Under-23 Championship quarterfinal clash against Malaysia on Saturday.
South Korea topped Group D following a 3-2 win over Australia on Wednesday.
In their opening group match, they defeated Vietnam 2-1, followed by a 0-0 draw with Syria.
Bong Gil admitted that his charges are feeling tired after three tough group matches.
"In our opening two matches, we had struggled in attack, but we showed progress by scoring three goals against Australia,” said Bong Gil.
“I am proud of the win and it gives us the motivation for the quarter-finals.”
South Korea finished runners-up at the 2016 AFC Under-23 Championships in Qatar following a 3-2 defeat to Japan in the final.
The last time Malaysia played Korea in an Under-23 match was at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games where the East Asian giants won 3-0.