SEOUL: South Korea's captain Son Heung-min said they will take Thursday’s (Nov 16) clash with Singapore clash “seriously”, with the Lions having players who can pose a threat.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday, the Tottenham Hotspur forward echoed comments made by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

“We're going to take the game seriously. And like what the coach tells us every day, we're going to do the basics well first, and then we'll see what happens,” said Son through a translator.

“There's no easy game and we take the game tomorrow as (seriously) as any other game that we (will) ever play.”

Son was in Singapore in July with Spurs for a preseason friendly against local side Lion City Sailors (LCS). He featured in the first half of the match, with Spurs being held 1-1 at the break. The English side scored another four goals in the second half and ran out 5-1 winners.

“I only played the first half and it was the first game that I've played in the preseason, (and) it was when I was getting ready for the league,” Son said.

“But still, it was tough. And I do remember some players that could cause trouble, that could hurt us.”

About half of the players in Singapore’s squad hail from the Sailors. Singapore are ranked 155th in the world, compared with South Korea's 24th.

Klinsmann was in Singapore last week and caught LCS' match against Jeonbuk in the AFC Champions League. The Sailors stunned the two-time tournament winners 2-0 in the Group F showdown at Jalan Besar Stadium.

That result was a "warning signal", said the German coach.

"We expect them to give everything they have. When you play a team that you are … supposed to be the favourite, you have to make sure that you take it very, very seriously," he said.

"So we will take it very seriously, we will not underestimate (for) one second Singapore, because they can hurt you through a counter-break or through a set piece or something like that.

"We are well prepared. We know their players, we watch their games, we did our homework and we're looking forward to welcoming them tomorrow evening."

At Singapore's pre-match press conference, head coach Takayuki Nishigaya said that while LCS' results give confidence, the national and club levels are "quite different".

"We have just (to be) focused on tomorrow's game, (and) what we can do," he said.

Midfielder Song Ui-young added that some of the Lions have experience playing against South Korean teams and that could prove beneficial.

"My teammates have experienced in a direct way (what it is like to play) against Korean players and Korean teams," he said.

"Korean players are very technical and they are physically very strong ... It's really important to have a good first half tomorrow night and see where the game goes afterwards."

FANDI BROTHERS BACK

Singapore will be boosted by the return of key players such as defender Safuwan Baharudin. Also included in the Lions’ ranks are the Fandi brothers – Irfan, Ikhsan and Ilhan.

All three are on the comeback trail following major injuries.

Ikhsan has been out about 10 months since suffering a knee injury in an international friendly last December, while Irfan suffered a serious injury while playing for his club BG Pathum last May and has faced setbacks in his recovery.

Prior to his call-up against Guam, striker Ilhan was out of action for nine months due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee.

Speaking to CNA on Tuesday, Ikhsan, who also plays for BG Pathum, said he was pleased to be back in the Singapore ranks.

“It’s a known fact I haven’t played a single game this year yet. But I’m in full training now and I’m with the team so I’m happy to be part of the team, give good energy to the team and give my support,” he said.

“If I get minutes that would be great, but I know it’s also a risk at this time. So we’ll take it easy and game by game, we’ll see how it is.”

Being away from the team has been “frustrating”, added Ilhan, who signed for Belgium club KMSK Deinze at the end of last year.

“To know that you can try to give something back and you can’t possibly be there is very frustrating ... You want to be on the field fighting with the boys,” he added.

"The time with the national team is a vibe, I love it and that's why I always like to come to the national team."

The Lions progressed to the second round of qualifying after beating 203rd-ranked Guam 3-1 over two legs. Aside from South Korea, Singapore will also have to contend with Thailand (112th) and China (79th). 

Singapore return home to play Thailand on Nov 21. The first two rounds of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying for the 2026 World Cup also serve as the first two stages of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The top two teams from each group will move on to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers and also qualify for the Asian Cup. The remaining teams will continue to play qualifying matches, but only for entry into the Asian Cup.

The Lions' subsequent qualifiers will be played next year. They will meet China at home on Mar 21 and away on Mar 26 before the return fixtures against South Korea and Thailand on Jun 6 and Jun 11 respectively.

South Korea boast a clutch of stars. Besides Son, the squad includes Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae.

Vietnam, ASEAN's highest-ranked team, were on the wrong end of a 6-0 thrashing the last time South Korea faced Southeast Asian opposition. The win, which came in a friendly match in October, was Klinsmann's third on the trot.

South Korea are unbeaten in five matches, having picked up wins against Saudi Arabia (1-0) and Tunisia (4-0) in friendlies prior to the victory against Vietnam. Saudi Arabia are 57th in the world, while Tunisia are 32nd.

But Singapore are up for the challenge, stressed the Fandi brothers.

“Everyone loves playing big games and everyone will turn up in big games. This is a great chance for everyone to show what they can do on the field,” said Irfan.

“I believe that the boys will come and fight, and that’s the most important thing – to show the fighting spirit.”

Catch South Korea vs Singapore LIVE in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying Round 2 on Thursday, Nov 16, from 6.50pm on Mediacorp's Channel 5, mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube.