South Korea-Mexico Preview

Group B action kicks off at the London Games on Thursday, when Mexico meets South Korea at St James' Park in Newcastle.

South Korea goes into its seventh straight Olympics with strong hopes of progressing to the knockout stages, and a 3-0 friendly win over Senegal in the build-up to the Games suggests that the side is in good form.

"We'll just try to qualify from the group and then see what happens," said Celtic midfielder Ki Sungyueng. "The first game is very important. This team is under-23 and they don't have much experience, but they are young and they think they can do anything.

"I know Newcastle has a great feeling for football and it's a great honor to play in the Olympics. This is my second Olympic Games and I am very excited."

Mexico has had a successful year at the under-23 level so far, winning the CONCACAF championship and the heralded Toulon Tournament in France. Manager Luis Fernando Tena Garduno hopes that his young side can take that form onto the Olympic stage and earn club moves to Europe.

"I want the players to impress so they can move to European clubs at the end of the tournament and achieve successful careers there," said Tena Garduno. "The key to our recent successes has been a good group of players who have a strong, tight bond. There is a brotherhood in the team.

"I do not have a specific target about the stage of the tournament we want to reach. I just want the team to play at its maximum level and leave a good impression on the world about Mexican football. It is really difficult to predict in which place the team will finish. The important thing is we have a good tournament with the team playing well and playing together."

Mexico and South Korea are expected to challenge Switzerland to progress from the group, but the coach of the Central American side is concerned with the level of expectation surrounding his team.

"In Mexico, there are raised expectations about our chances because we won the CONCACAF," admitted Garduno. "The expectations are big and I feel we will match the expectations about playing good football, rather than any about winning the tournament.

"Our preparations have been very good, but the favorites are Brazil, Spain and Great Britain. On the second level there is Uruguay, Switzerland and Mexico fighting together."

Both teams will play their second game in Group B at the City of Coventry Stadium on Sunday, with Mexico facing Gabon and South Korea playing Switzerland.