| Day | Time (ET) | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 2:30 PM | Park Joo Ho | Dortmund | @Mainz | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday | 7:45 AM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | Liverpool | NBCSN |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Hong Jeong Ho | Augsburg | Darmstadt | Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Ji Dong Won | Augsburg | Darmstadt | Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Koo Ja Cheol | Augsburg | Darmstadt | Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Ryu Seung Woo | Bayer Leverkusen | @Hamburg | Fox Soccer Plus |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Kim Jin Su | Hoffenheim | @Wolfsburg | Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Lee Chung Yong | Crystal Palace | West Ham | NBC Extra Time |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Yun Suk Young | QPR | @Birmingham City | None |
| Saturday | 2:00 PM | Suk Hyun Jun | Vitoria Setubal | @Coruchense (Cup) | None |
| Monday | 3:00 PM | Ki Sung Yueng | Swansea | Stoke City | NBCSN |
Park Joo Ho played the whole WCQ and 5 minutes in friendly. He's going to have to hurry back as Schmelzer is likely out for Friday's match. Given Tuchel's preference for fresh legs, PJH might not get the start, but as of now, I'd expect him to start vs his and Tuchel's former club.
Son Heung Min will be a later decision based on his health. I've not heard of him returning to training just yet so his availability to start or even be on the bench is up in the air. Right now, I'm assuming (/hoping) that it was a conveniently timed injury for international break and that he'll be ready to go vs Klopp who he's had good success against (though it's too early for Klopp to have made a major impact).
Hong Jeong Ho may get a start to help rebuild his confidence and add some aerial threat on set pieces. Given their success against Leverkusen though, he will probably be on the bench.
Ji Dong Won could start or be an unused sub as Wienzierl keeps shuffling the deck in an attempt to find some offensive consistency. Ji has been playing well, and being involved in all three goals for KNT albeit against an underpowered Jamaica in a friendly should help boost his confidence. He didn't feature in WCQ and was subbed off in friendly haver 77'. But with Augsburg getting healthier, Ji will have to perform when called upon to keep getting minutes. I'm expecting a bench role for him this weekend.
Koo Ja Cheol played 90 of the WCQ and 20 minutes of the friendly but he should start vs Darmstadt as he's been one of the best performing Augsburg players recently.
Ryu Seung Woo has been down with Olympic squad and I don't think will feature for Leverkusen.
Kim Jin Su may get the start as Hoffenheim has struggled for defense. He did play 85 minutes of friendly so we'll see as to which way he goes as a starter or off the bench.
Lee Chung Yong was out with injury and I don't expect him to make the squad though perhaps he makes the bench if healthy.
Yun Suk Young played 90 with the development squad this week but they let in five goals. Pretty sure that's not what Ramsey is looking for so we'll have to see if he even makes the squad as it appears YSY is pretty healthy now.
Suk Hyun Jun played 76' in WCQ but not in the friendly. We'll see how seriously Vitoria Setubal take the cups but as there are two cup matches in a week, I suspect that he'll start this weekend.
Ki Sung Yueng started and nearly played almost every minute. Fortunately, he has an extra day of rest so his usage vs Stoke will be purely a function of what Monk has in mind. I'm expecting a start for now as Ki has looked the sharpest of the 3 DM options.
