‘Golden Boy’ Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain) is ready to take on the ‘stage of stars’.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will face AC Milan in the home game of the third match of Group F of the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage held at Parc des Princes in Paris, France at 4 a.m.
on the 26th (Korean time). clash. 바카라사이트닷컴
Currently, PSG is in second place in the group with 1 win, 1 loss, and 3 points.
They beat Dortmund 2-0 in the first game, but suffered a crushing loss in the away game at Newcastle, losing 1-4.
If they defeat Milan in this game, they will have an advantage in the race to advance to the round of 16 by surviving to second place.
Milan is also desperate for three points.
They have drawn against Dortmund and Newcastle and are yet to win.
They are ranked 3rd in their group with 2 draws and 2 points.
Lee Kang-in is expected to appear as a starter in two consecutive games. France’s L’Equipe predicts that he will play the role of left midfielder in the 4-4-2 formation.
It is expected that he will work with ‘ace’ Kylian Mbappe once again.
The media said Kylian Mbappe-Gonzalo Hamus, Lee Kang-in-Warren Jair Emery-Manuel Ugarte-Ousmane Dembele, Lucas Hernández-Milan Skriniar-Marquinhos-Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma are the best 11. It was predicted that it would be organized.
L’Equipe predicted Lee Kang-in’s appearance, saying, “PSG coach Luis Enrique has kept the starting lineup a secret throughout the season.
The players also find out whether they will start a few hours before the game starts.”
The fact that Jair Emery has just returned to team training due to injury issues also adds strength to the possibility of Lee Kang-in being selected.
The media analyzed, “Can Jair Emery be a starter after missing training for a few days? The question arises because Lee Kang-in’s physical condition is also excellent. He, who returned after winning the Asian Games, has offensive ability unlike Jair Emery.” .
Lee Kang-in also played full time in the 9th round match of Ligue 1 against Strasbourg on the 22nd.
Although he failed to increase his attack points, he showed his strengths with a flashing pass.
In the 31st minute of the first half, he served as the starting point for Soller’s additional goal.
Lee Kang-in, who caught the ball on the right side, made a perfect diagonal pass toward Mbappe, who was penetrating into the space behind the defense.
Mbappe, who received the ball, beat the defense and crossed the ground ball, and Soler finished lightly and hit the net.
Mbappe also praised Lee Kang-in’s pass.
He pointed to Lee Kang-in with his left index finger and raised his hand for a high five.
Lee Kang-in also quickly approached and clapped his hands to celebrate his score. It was PSG’s second goal, which started with the Lee Kang-in-Mbappe combination.
It was the return to League 1 after about two months.
Lee Kang-in started in both the opening match and second round of League 1, but left the team due to a thigh injury.
He got up from his injury at the end of last month and played briefly against Dortmund, but was absent again due to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and A-match schedule.
As soon as Lee Kang-in returned to Paris, he played his first full-time performance since transferring to PSG.
However, he was not 100% satisfied with his performance.
Lee Kang-in was often isolated among the defense, and even when he caught the ball, his teammate lacked the movement to stab the pass.
As he is not a player with great strengths in solo breakthrough, there is a question mark over Coach Enrique’s method of using him.
Lee Kang-in was even more disappointed because he boasted of his recently improved condition.
He won a gold medal at the Asian Games and also performed well in the two-game A match held in Korea.
He marked his international debut by scoring multiple goals against Tunisia, and also scored 1 goal and 1 assist against Vietnam.
However, he was unable to show his full skills in the match against Strasbourg.
Football statistics media ‘Foot Mob’ gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 7.1 points.
His score was the lowest among the 11 PSG players who started.
He recorded 1 shot, 1 opportunity created, 7 recoveries, and 1 interception in 90 minutes.
France’s ‘Foot Mercato’ also gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 5 points, the lowest score in the team.
The media said, “Lee Kang-in returned to the Paris midfield for the first time since the 19th of last month, but due to his position, he was not able to dribble much.
At times, he focused on defense,” and “Other times, he knew how to receive the ball and make a valuable pass.
Lee Kang-in “In particular, he stabbed several passes towards Mbappe. His return to competition at PSG will help Paris shine,” he said.
Now, Lee Kang-in is trying to shake off his disappointment on the UCL stage again this season for the first time in four years.
He made his UCL debut while playing for Valencia in the 2019-2020 season, becoming the youngest Korean ever to do so, but has been away from the UCL stage since then.
It was his first comeback in four seasons, playing on the pitch for about 15 minutes, including extra time, against Dortmund last month.
Ahead of the Milan match, Lee Kang-in said in an interview with PSG, “(UCL) is a competition that not only me but all soccer players really want to play in.
It has been a dream competition since I was young.
It is an important competition for the team and for me.
I prepare well and make sure to win.
I will do my best to do it,” he said.
He continued, “(UCL matches) are not that different.
But I am always aware of the fact that it is a really important match.
I have to prepare well.
I always go into every match trying to win.
I am only thinking about winning.
As long as I prepare well, I will do my best.
I think I’ll be able to win well,” he said, expressing confidence.
Lastly, Lee Kang-in said, “This is a game that not only me but all players dream of and want.
I look forward to it. I hope that day comes quickly.”
He added, “I am playing with the best players in the world at the club I have dreamed of since I was young.
I will definitely show a good performance.
My dream was to help the team achieve good results.
I want to play quickly,” he said emphatically.