South Korea's Son Heung-min says they will take World Cup qualifier against Singapore 'seriously'

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,