[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he rhetoric of the South Korean National Team football Choi, apart from it being distasteful and short   of decency towards the opponent, can be a blessing in disguise for the Team Melli. It has triggered a tremendous defiant feeling among the team and hyped them to a level that the encounter on Tuesday will mean more to them than a football match.

Iranians have frequently saved their best for the times they are put under pressure. In football, there have been numerous examples of such. When the team was doing poorly and their fate was dependent on one match, they have bounced back, and even excelled and made it.  It seems that Choi has supplemented the determination of the Persians with added incentive for the players and the coaching staff who would be seeking some kind of payback so that the grim faced coach eats his words.

Results wise, Team Melli has not fared badly in Korea. The records speak for themselves as Iran has won twice, and lost as many in the 8 matches they have met in Korean soil. Even more significant is the fact that Team Melli has never lost a competitive official match like the AFC Asian cup or the FIFA World Cup qualifiers,  in Korean soil (South and North) in a period stretching for 42 years since they first played each other in 1971. The two matches lost were friendly games in 1971 and then 2005. Team Melli last won in Korea in 2010 again in a friendly game. The element of fear or stress of facing the Koreans does not exist with the Iranian players. With a win already in this very competition of FIFA World Cup qualifier, another such victory is not difficult to achieve. That should be a good omen for Team Melli players.

The weather, which is could be a factor with visiting teams, should not be of too much of a concern for Iranian players. The forecast for the City of Ulsan in the east coast of the Korean Peninsula is cloudy with chances of rain & showers. The expected temperature would be around 29 degrees Celsius, That would not be a great issue and in fact it will be 3 degrees cooler than Tehran itself. The more concerning matter would be the humidity and rain. The Koreans are much better adapted to playing to such wet climate and playing surface than the Iranians. What was also significant in the last match in Korea between the host nation and Uzbekistan was the players’ kit. The Uzbeks clearly were not prepared for such weather and their jerseys were not designed for rainy playing conditions. It was soaking wet during the match when the rain poured heavily, making the Uzbek players clearly uncomfortable trying to adjust their wet jerseys that was uncomfortably sticking to their flesh. On the other hand, in the same weather conditions, the Koreans seem to have no issue with their jerseys and played comfortably while running with ease.

[dropcap]Q[/dropcap]ueiroz has previously complained about the quality and the suitability of the Team Melli kits and precisely before the Qatar match.  He believed that the weather condition required special type of fabric and hence what was made by the kit manufacturer was deemed unsuitable for the hot and humid condition of Qatar. So, taking that in consideration, it is assumed that Team Melli will be well prepared for that part of the competition.

Technically speaking, there is not much advantage between the two teams. The Koreans are going through a soft patch and if there was anything that perhaps raised a few eyebrows with their performance at home against the Uzbeks, it was their physical condition. Surprisingly, the usually fit and well adapted Koreans ran out of breath. It is not clear if fatigue was the reason behind some of the players’ exhaustion or was it simply the mental stress on them especially since they performed poorly against Lebanon and were on the brink of yet another famous humiliation.

Despite the good goal difference of Korea, their finishing in the last two games was really below par. Creating scoring opportunities is not a problem with the Koreans, however , the finishing is a great concern.

But as the saying goes, football sometimes produces the weirdest of results. This one indicates a possible draw all things considered, a result that will qualify both of the team directly , but Uzbekistan might have something to say about it when they meets Qatar at the same kick of time in Tashkent.