Jurgen Klinsmann expects his South Korea side to reach the Asian Cup final but warned on Sunday that there will be “drama” and “nail-biters” on the way.
The team led by striker Son Heung-min are aiming to win the title for the first time since 1960 and are among the favourites in Qatar.
South Korea will be fully expected to begin their title bid on Monday against Bahrain with victory but Klinsmann cautioned: “Game number one is a very, very important game and you want to start well in any tournament.”
“Every game will be difficult. All teams that are here in Qatar deserve to be here and are strong,” added the legendary German striker, who won the World Cup as a player.
Klinsmann, who took over as South Korea coach in February last year, added: “I think we have a very strong team and the goal is to be here at the very end of the tournament and play in the final.
“This team has the qualities, absolutely, to win the tournament but it will be a long, long battle, it will be a marathon.
“Every game will be a nail-biter, there will be drama, but this is what tournaments are about.”
In addition to Spurs attacker Son, South Korea also have Hwang Hee-chan, who has averaged a goal every other game for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this season.
The striker said joining up with his country was “a special moment” and dismissed any talk about tiredness because of the rigours of the Premier League.
“When we come to the national team we don’t speak about how tired or stressed we are, we don’t speak about how fatigued we are,” said the 27-year-old.
“We talk about what we can do to make the team better, what we can do to get the result that everyone wants back in Korea.
“We have been preparing well for the tournament and I want to go out there with everything and get the result that we want.”
