| Day | Time (ET) | Player | Club | Opponent | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 2:30 PM | Hong Jeong Ho | Augsburg | Koln | Fox Sports 2 |
| Friday | 2:30 PM | Ji Dong Won | Augsburg | Koln | Fox Sports 2 |
| Friday | 2:30 PM | Koo Ja Cheol | Augsburg | Koln | Fox Sports 2 |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Park Joo Ho | Dortmund | Wolfsburg | Fox Soccer Plus |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM | Kim Jin Su | Hoffenheim | Ingolstadt | Fox Soccer 2 Go |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM | Lee Chung Yong | Crystal Palace | @Newcastle | USA |
| Saturday | 1:30 PM | Suk Hyun Jun | Porto | Sporting | None |
| Sunday | 7:00 AM | Ki Sung Yueng | Swansea | Liverpool | NBCSN |
| Monday | 3:00 PM | Son Heung Min | Tottenham | @Chelsea | NCBSN |
Koo Ja Cheol -- Started off in a central midfield role against one of his former clubs and grew into the match, and his hard work helped in the second goal. Pressing a bit higher up than he had until that point, he was able to work the ball free from Gustavo, which Finnbogason was able to collect and shoot. When Altintop tapped in the rebound, Augsburg had a cushion that didn't look much under threat, and with the resulting win, Augsburg is now in great shape to avoid relegation.
With a draw this weekend, they can avoid automatic relegation, and barring some disastrous and unlikely results from their relegation rivals, should be safe to move onto next season. As for this weekend, after Baier went down to injury last weekend, Koo moved to the DM role where he looked surprisingly comfortable in return to a role he hadn't really played much in recent years. Will Koo drop back again or will Weinzierl move one of his CHs forward? In either case, Koo has been so crucial to Augsburg this season and he should start.
Hong Jeong Ho -- He came on for Verhaegh who re-aggravated his injury at 40 minutes. He played the middle of a 3/5 back defense. With Opare positioned pretty forward, it was at times a four man back line, but in all cases, HJH was rarely threatened as Wolfsburg struggled to create any danger. We'll see how Weinzierl manages the injuries, with potential return to starting lineup if Weinzierl sticks with back three, or shifts Gouweeleeuw (hopefully spelled right) into DM into Baier's role, or just leaves HJH out in a back four.
Ji Dong Won -- Came on in final minutes and showed in a brief cameo some of his positives and negatives. On the negative front, his communication is still lacking, battling teammates for an aerial ball and the like. But on the positive front, he had some nicely linked passes which provided a decent moment for Augsburg. With Caiuby suspended due to yellow, Ji is in the mix for LM spot, with Bobadilla and Werner also candidates. If he doesn't start, he'll be one of the first options off the bench.
Park Joo Ho -- Left off the squad and it turns out that he has a bone bruise that puts the remainder of the season at risk. While he may return before the end of the season, it will probably be a moot point given preferred alternatives at LB over PJH.
Kim Jin Su -- Still recovering from thigh injury, KJS returned to team training this week but it seems he's not ready to return as Nagelsmann ruled him out for this weekend.
Lee Chung Yong -- Given that he was first one subbed off last weekend, no surprise to see him left off the FA Cup semi-final, which Crystal Palace won to meet Manchester United in the final. Zaha is a question mark going into weekend match, but I don't expect LCY to do anything this weekend even if he makes the squad.
Suk Hyun Jun -- An unused sub and it looks like SHJ's transfer into Porto has realized the potential disappointment that came with the discord at Porto in the January window. There will be plenty of opportunities to earn some minutes, but its unclear how many will come this season where he may be an emergency option off the bench.
Ki Sung Yueng -- The good news is that he played when he came on as a sub at 76th minute. The bad news is that Swansea had already thrown in the towel after a terrible effort, and Ki didn't help with lackluster effort and some poor decisions, particularly a clearance that went straight to a Leicester player who just missed scoring. There was a brief moment where it looked like Ki was trying to showcase himself for potential suitors, but not much came of that brief aggressive play. With Fer out this weekend, will Guidolin look to Ki to try to shake Swansea out of their tailspin? Ki's not making it easy to do so but Guidolin might not have many alternatives.
Son Heung Min -- Pochettino's reluctance to put him and Chadli on despite needing a goal shows the lack of confidence the manager has in his subs. But at least Son was the first one on, and had a ball bounced his way, perhaps he could have had a chance at making an impact. Unfortunately, Tottenham had lost all momentum by then and Son couldn't get the touches to help the match.
With Alli most likely suspended for the rest of the season, Son will have a chance to prove his worth ahead of the summer. He'll need to take that chance because he might not have a great chance to do so next fall, when he will miss most of preparations due to Olympics.
