Lee Kang-in is set to play his final game for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before being called up for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
PSG and Borussia Dortmund will meet in the first leg of their 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group F clash at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, at 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
Lee Kang-in is back from injury. On December 12, PSG released a video on its official social media accounts showing the striker in training. The video shows Lee doing indoor exercises and even training with a ball, which is the final stage of his rehabilitation.바카라
For now, he was left out of the roster for the league match against Nice on the 16th. It was presumably decided that he was not yet fit enough to play. PSG lost the match 2-3.
Lee Kang-in is doubtful for the UCL match against Dortmund. PSG is in a group with Dortmund, AC Milan, and Newcastle United, so every game is a slippery slope. One slip-up and they’re not guaranteed a spot in the round of 16, so it’s possible they’re not going to risk playing a player with questionable form.
If Lee misses the game against Dortmund, it will also affect Hwang Sun-hong’s Asian Games squad. According to the Korea Football Association, Lee will join Hwang after the Dortmund game. If he doesn’t get a chance to get some game time under his belt before the Asian Games, it will only deepen Hwang’s worries, as he said he would “decide when to use Lee Kang-in based on his performance rather than using him quickly.”
The good news is that even without Lee Kang-in, Hwang has plenty of options for the second line. Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon Sangmu), Ko Young-joon (Pohang Steelers), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai), and Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan Hyundai) are all competitive in the A team. It’s enough to keep Lee in the lineup once he’s fully recovered.
However, the best-case scenario would be for Lee to start and finish the game injury-free against Dortmund. The Asian Games schedule is too packed for him to arrive in Hangzhou and get a feel for the game. Playing as a substitute for PSG would be a great way to test his fitness and ensure he is fully fit for the Asian Games, which will be a big boost for Hwang as he looks to win his third consecutive gold medal.