South Korea are back in Asian Cup action in the UAE tonight.<br />Paulo Bento's squad face a tricky Bahrain side in the round of 16.<br />South Korea are the favorites on paper, but with injuries to some key players,... there are no guarantees they'll cruise into the quarterfinals.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports. <br />Expectation is high for South Korea's national football team,... as they look to win their first Asian Cup title in 59 years. <br />It's been smooth sailing in the UAE so far.<br />The Taeguk Warriors reached the round of 16 as comfortable Group C winners,... with three straight wins. <br />Tuesday night's opponents, Bahrain,... finished third in Group A with one win, one draw and one loss.<br />While South Korea might be the favorite on paper,... head coach Paulo Bento insists it won't be an easy match.<br />Despite the South Korean offense getting a much needed boost thanks to the late addition of star striker Son Heung-min,... Ki Sung-yueng has dropped from the roster,... and returned to Newcastle United after sustaining a hamstring injury.<br />Bento also confirmed Lee Jae-sung will not play against Bahrain due to a toe injury he sustained during South Korea's opening match against the Philippines.<br />Bento says his squad needs to be aware of Bahrain's quick transition from defense to offense,... something South Korea's defenders have had issues dealing with in the past. <br />Bahrain also boasts good attackers who are quick and powerful,... and controlling the pace of the match is seen as key for a South Korea win.<br />South Korea's striker Hwang Ui-jo remains in great form.<br />Bahrain will remember him as he scored a hat trick against them at last year's Asian Games.<br />The match kicks off at 10PM Korea time.<br />Meanwhile, another epic clash has been set up after Japan snuck past Saudi Arabia one-nil on Monday. <br />Japan's win means a quarterfinals match up against Vietnam,... as Vietnam's South Korean head coach Park Hang-seo looks to bump his legendary status in the Southeast Asian nation to the next level.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News. <br />
