England's Lionesses will get the chance to add yet another piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet when they take to the field in the upcoming Arnold Clark Cup.
Sarina Wiegman's side became the inaugural winners of the four-nation competition on home soil last year before going on to become UEFA Women’s EURO champions in the summer. They will begin their defence of their crown on Thursday (February 16) against Korea Republic at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes before taking on Italy at Coventry's CBS Arena and Belgium at Bristol City's Ashton Gate later this month.
With Wiegman having named her 26-player-squad ahead of the Korea Republic clash, we're taking a closer look at Thursday's opponents and examining just how great of a threat they could pose to the Lionesses...
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Who are Korea Republic?
The South Korea women's national football team - offiicially recognised by FIFA as Korea Republic - represents South Korea in international women's football competitions. The team's first outing on the international stage came at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, when the South Korean sports authorities were forced to field a team comprising athletes from other sports as there were no female players to call upon.
While South Korea suffered defeat in all four of their four matches - including a 13-1 loss to Japan - it was the beginning of a rise in demand for women's football throughout the country. To help grow the sport, the Korea Women's Football Federation (KWFF) was established in March 2001 and the national team qualified for their first World Cup in 2003; Kim Jin-hee scoring the first ever South Korean World Cup goal on 27 September 2003 against Norway.
The country failed to qualify for the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, but made it past the group stage of the tournament for the first time in 2015, ultimately losing out to France in the Round of 16. They could not replicate that feat in 2019 however, exiting the World Cup at the group stage after losing all three games.
The Taegeuk Ladies have shown their promise at youth level, winning the the Under-17 World Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup in 2010. Korea Republic are currently 15th in the FIFA World Rankings, making them the highest-ranked opponents England will face in this year's Arnold Clark Cup.
Who is the manager?
Korea Republic are currently managed by English coach Colin Bell. Bell began his playing career at Leicester City, but did not break into the first team and spent much of his career playing in the German second tier.
He spent more than two decades managing in Germany, enjoying success as Head Coach of TuS Koblenz over a seven-year period before becoming Assistant Head Coach at 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga; a role he held from 1996 to 1999.
The 61-year-old has held a number of positions in the women's game, guiding FFC Frankfurt to the Women’s Champions League trophy in 2015 and making the shortlist for the FIFA Women’s World Coach of the Year. In 2017, he was appointed the Senior International Manager of the Republic of Ireland women's team before taking up the role of Assistant Head Coach at Championship side Huddersfield Town.
He took over as manager of Korea Republic in 2019, leading the country to the final of a Women's Asian Cup for the first time in 2022.
Who are their star players?
Perhaps the most recognisable name in Korea Republic's Arnold Clark Cup squad is Ji So-yun, the former Chelsea midfielder whose eight-year spell at Kingsmeadow came to an end in 2022. The 31-year-old, who now plays for WK Legue side Suwon FC Women, helped Chelsea to six WSL titles and also has a host of prestigious individual accolades to her name.
With 20 goals in 75 appearances for the national side, Brighton's Lee Geum-min is definitely one to watch while Seagulls teammate Park Ye-eun will also be familiar to fans of the WSL.
Form guide
Korea Republic are unbeaten in their last five games, having pegged back World Cup hosts New Zealand in their last outing of 2022.
Their last defeat came against Japan last July.
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