Koreans Abroad Weekend Preview

(image via koreatimes.co.kr)

Back from international break, and a bit of scare for Koo Ja Cheol who had a cramp or similar type of injury. Fortunately, only Ki Sung Yueng had a heavy load, and even he will have a whole week to travel back to the club and get rested ahead of weekend matches.

Day	Time (ET)	Player	Club	Opponent	TV
Saturday	9:30 AM	Hong Jeong Ho	Augsburg	@Mainz	Fox Soccer 2 Go
Saturday	9:30 AM	Ji Dong Won	Augsburg	@Mainz	Fox Soccer 2 Go
Saturday	9:30 AM	Koo Ja Cheol	Augsburg	@Mainz	Fox Soccer 2 Go
Saturday	10:00 AM	Lee Chung Yong	Crystal Palace	@West Ham	NBC Extra Time
Saturday	10:00 AM	Ki Sung Yueng	Swansea	@Stoke City	NBC Extra Time
Saturday	12:30 PM	Park Joo Ho	Dortmund	Werder Bremen	Fox
Saturday	12:30 PM	Son Heung Min	Tottenham	@Liverpool	NBC
Sunday	11:30 AM	Kim Jin Su	Hoffenheim	Koln	Fox Sports 2
Monday	2:00 PM	Suk Hyun Jun	Porto	Tondela	None

Lee Chung Yong -- We'll see if Pardew changes his thinking with the club sinking lower and lower in the table, now dropping below Swansea to 16th in the table, albeit with a 7 point cushion. But given that LCY hasn't even made the bench, I doubt any change is pending at least for LCY so he'll be lucky to make the bench though he only played the first match so he'll at least be fresh.

Hong Jeong Ho -- Featured for only a half with KNT so it looks like Stielike was sensitive to his ongoing health issues. We will see with a more full complement of defenders who Weinzierl selects but there's a decent chance of HJH starting and certainly a bench spot if not.

Ji Dong Won -- He stayed home to get fit, and hopefully it paid off. For now I don't expect him to start with Weinzierl saying that he's still struggling a bit.

Koo Ja Cheol -- He came off at the tail end of the WCQ with leg discomfort. Reports were that it was just a cramp but we heard something similar last time when he ended up missing a few weeks with injury. On the good side, he was sent back to his club right after so he will have had over a week to recover and is already back in training. He will start if fit or be on the bench if he can play at all.

Kim Jin Su -- He played a full 90 of the WCQ but I don't expect a change in situation for KJS this weekend with Hoffenheim playing well. He'll have to be patient and figure out how to stay sharper than he showed with KNT.

Ki Sung Yueng -- Not sure how much of it was due to try to help fix KNT's lackluster performances or the fact that he was captain, but Ki had the heaviest load of KPAs playing full 90 in WCQ and over 60 in friendly. He'll have extra rest in his return vs. his other internationals at Swansea but he has his work cut out for him given distance traveled, his battle for minutes before leaving, and his variable performances all season.

Suk Hyun Jun -- He scored a very nice goal and reportedly played very well in friendly. We will see if that translates to Porto form and opportunities. I'm leaning towards him being on bench but he could start.

Son Heung Min -- In a trade for permission to play in Olympics, Son got this international break off to focus on club and hopefully elevate his play ahead of the final matches in Tottenham's title chase. He looked like he needed a mental break before this so maybe he finds his form in the two weeks. I don't expect him to start this weekend though depending on what happens to other attackers during international duty (not sure of travel commitments), perhaps he has an outside chance of starting.

Park Joo Ho -- Played 90 in friendly but I don't expect any improvement in his club situation as Durm and Schmelzer were both left off German squad and as such will be fresh this weekend.