We got a bit more football than expected last weekend, and with DFB Pokal kicking off German football and the return of Son/Ki into the mix, hopefully more to come this weekend too. As usual, I will also repeat my warning about difficulty in predicting starts/subs for cup matches when managers often will experiment or look to put a marginal player more clearly in transfer window.
| Day | Time (ET) | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 2:45 PM | Ji Dong Won | Augsburg | @Ravensburg (Cup) | None |
| Friday | 2:45 PM | Koo Ja Cheol | Augsburg | @Ravensburg (Cup) | None |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Lee Chung Yong | Crystal Palace | @Tottenham | NBC Extra Time |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Ki Sung Yueng | Swansea | Hull City | NBC Extra Time |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | Crystal Palace | NBC Extra Time |
| Sunday | 9:30 AM | Kim Jin Su | Hoffenheim | @Germania Egestorf (Cup) | None |
| Monday | 2:45 PM | Park Joo Ho | Dortmund | @Eintracht Trier (Cup) | ESPN3 |
Lee Chung Yong -- The only player to recap as he was a surprise start. He played well with some nice passes and very good pressing for him. Though he was the brightest player, he was pulled first for Bolasie which backfired on Pardew as Bolasie was thinking of his move to Everton rather than finishing off his career at Crystal Palace. With limited options for Pardew with new buys like Benteke yet to integrate, LCY has a good chance of starting again and hopefully earning a bigger role for now.
Ji Dong Won -- He's been the 12th man in friendlies, battling Altintop for first offensive sub. He's reportedly done well in friendlies but it's clear that he's not in Schuster's starting XI right now. Hopefully he can turn the near misses from friendlies into goals when the season starts.
Koo Ja Cheol -- Has been lively in friendlies, though he did have a ton of misses in the last friendly which Schuster chalked up to fatigue. He should start again, and though he was experimented deeper, I'm guessing he'll be in CAM to start.
Ki Sung Yueng -- He played with the reserves midweek to build up match fitness after being ruled out last weekend due to lack of preparation. As a result, Guidolin said that he's available for the weekend. With Britton sick, perhaps Ki gets a start but with Sigurdsson back, I expect him to be on the bench.
Son Heung Min -- He returned yesterday and though he should have decent match fitness after partial tourney, I doubt Tottenham will throw him into the deep end without a bit of re-integration. He could nab a bench spot though.
Kim Jin Su -- He had to settle for a B team friendly and was pulled after a half. The lack of any role in preseason wasn't too surprising given his lack of role last season but the fact that he's still at Hoffenheim without any rumors is. The last week or so of the window will be interesting for KJS but not for anything on the pitch as I expect him left off again.
Park Joo Ho -- He was scheduled to start last friendly but then was pulled minutes before kickoff. I thought that it may have been due to a transfer coming close, but then he went back on at 60 minutes and had a tidy 30 minutes. With Durm now out for half the season, the depth at Dortmund is thinner but of course PJH is still 5th choice FB and limited to the left (vs others who can play both sides). I don't expect PJH to have a role this weekend, even if only a cup match, but clarification on his club situation for this season remains murky.
