Managed Lee Kang-In to reunite with Milan after ‘UCL debut goal’…local media outlets likely to pick him up

Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Lee Kang-man could once again find the back of the net for AC Milan (Italy). After a quick substitution in a midweek league game, the South Korean striker has been called up for the upcoming UEFA Champions League (UCL) clash. Local media outlets have tipped Lee to play. At the same time, they also predicted a “central midfield” deployment.

PSG will host Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, on Aug. 8 (KST) in their fourth UCL Group F match of the 2023-24 season. Group F leaders PSG (6 points) will be looking to hold off last-place Milan to secure a spot in the round of 16. Milan, who are winless in their last three official matches, will be looking for their first UCL win at home.

Ahead of the match, soccer fans received some good news. Lee Kang-In is likely to start. On June 6, French outlet Le Parisien reported that PSG coach Luis Enrique will make some new changes against Milan. They predicted that PSG will go with a 4-3-3, with Kylian Mbappe, Kolo Toure, and Ousmane Dembele up front. It was the midfield that caught my eye. Lee Kang-In-Manuel Ugarte-Warren Zaire-Emerick Aubameyang is the expected lineup. The defense remains the same as before: Luca Hernandez-Milan Skriniar-Marquinhos-Achiraf Hakimi-Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Since joining PSG in July, Lee has primarily played as a right-back and left-back. More recently, he has been deployed on the left wing in a 4-2-2-2 formation to occupy the space behind Mbappe, and in the Ligue 1 11th round match against Montpellier on April 4, he made his presence felt as a ‘metzala’ between the flanks and the center. Lee scored the first goal and was the highest rated player in the match.

If he does start in the center, it will be the first time since joining PSG. Of course, the prospect wasn’t unheard of. Initially, it was widely believed that PSG’s midfield purchases during the summer transfer window were meant to fill the “creativity” gap in the team. The existing midfield options of Karlsson, Soler, and Fabian Ruiz had performed below expectations, and Marco Verratti was expected to leave the club after being ruled out of contention. With seven assists in all competitions in the 2022-23 season, Lee was seen as the right man to solve PSG’s problems.

However, at the start of the season, Lee was playing a supporting role on the right wing. The center of PSG’s attack was Mbappe on the left, so he needed to balance things out on the other side. However, Lee went down with an injury and was sidelined for nearly a month due to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (AG)-October A schedule. In the meantime, PSG brought in Mouanni-Dembele to further bolster their attacking line. It was expected that Lee’s position would change. 무지개토토 도메인

But Dembele has struggled, and Lee has been a force to be reckoned with. Lee came straight off the bench to play his first full game against Strasbourg on March 22, and was substituted four days later in the UCL Group F third leg against Milan.