WORLD CUP 2022 PREVIEW - SOUTH KOREA: Heung-Min Son and his teammates will be aiming to emulate the heroes of 2002 as they embark on their latest World Cup campaign in Qatar on Thursday

South Korea will look to national heroHeung Min-Sonand monster defender Kim Min-Jae as they aim to emulate their golden era of 2002.

The nation shocked the world over two decades ago as they enjoyed a wonderful run to the semi-finals as they hosted the tournament alongside Japan and eventually finished in fourth place. En route to the last four, they finished top of a testing group that contained the USA, Poland and Portugal, whilst they also found their way past Spain and Italy.

Only beaten finalistsGermanycould halt their irresistible run and it goes without saying that Paulo Bentos men will be aiming to match that achievement. Key to those hopes could certainly beTottenhamsensation Son but considering the doubts over his fitness,Napolidefender Kim could well step forwards.

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The 26-year-old has enjoyed a hugely impressive debut season with Napoli following a summer move from Fenerbahce. He has been key to the clubs unlikely challenge for the Serie A crown and has earned him the nickname of The Monster - something that Kim is particularly fond of.

As quoted byThe Guardian, he said: I really like it. It sums up my positive attributes as a defender.

Kim will certainly have to have a monster tournament if South Korea are to progress. They come up against the likes ofCristiano Ronaldos Portugal and Uruguay, who are blessed with attacking talents such asDarwin NunezLuis SuarezandEdinson Cavaniin the group.

How far do you think South Korea will go in the World Cup?Make your predictions in the comments below

He is relishing the challenge though. Im looking forward to defending against Darwin Nñez in the Uruguay game, he said.

South Korea have certainly made their mark ahead of the tournament in Qatar with an imperious qualifying campaign. Of their 16 matches, they lost just once, scoring 35 goals and conceding just four.

It goes without saying that Kim and his defensive colleagues played a huge role in that but the same can certainly be said for poster boy Son. The 105-capped forward netted seven goals throughout the qualification process and will certainly be aiming to continue that electric form throughout the tournament.

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He has to prove his fitness first though.The Tottenham forward was forced to undergo facial surgery to stabilise a fracture around his eye earlier this month. As a result, he missed the final three matches of Spurs season andis now required to both play and train with a protective maskalthough boss Bento is hopeful that will not affect his performances too much.

Speaking in a press conference, he said: Sonny will be able to play. I think the fact that he will be wearing a mask will not be an inconvenience for him, its feels natural for him.

We will see tomorrow how it will be. Our hope is that he will feel comfortable to the greatest extent possible, and we will use the best strategies so that he can feel at ease. But he knows and we know that after this injury we cannot rule out any risk.

Whilst many will be hopeful that Son and Kim will be hopeful of emulating their predecessors, many are attempting to temper expectations. Away from their run to the semi-finals over 20 years ago, they have only ever managed to progress from the group on one occasion.

With Uruguay, Portugal and Ghana all set to come, it will not be an easy assignment this time around by any means - something that is not lost on schemer Bento. He said: During the history of the World Cup, South Korea was only able to twice go beyond the group stage, and one was when they were hosts with Japan. Our objectives here must be to play each match at a time, play in the best manner possible, let the players be themselves.

I dont see any reason for them to have any pressure on their shoulders. If this was a team regularly going onto the next stage, yes, I would say it has to continue happening, but I do not believe this is a burden we have.

That is a view shared by former captain Koo Ja-Cheol, who is not getting too ahead of himself despite having played his own role in South Koreas success in 2002.

As quoted byESPN, he said: Realistically, we wish to pass through the group stage - this is our target. But before (thinking about) this target, we need to get three points.

The first win is most important because, in our past World Cups, whenever we had three points from the first game, we passed through the group stage. I hope the players can repeat this history in this moment.

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