“We’re going to lose two centre-backs, not only two players,” said Soares. “Not easy when you lose two key players but we have 23 players and the others should be ready to play. 

“We will make the right change. Of course we prefer everyone to be available but that is how it is and I’m sure whoever comes in will do their best.

“We will target their weak points to make the game uncomfortable for them. It will not be easy but we have a good team and we’re ready for the battle.”

Striker Thamer Al Khaibari echoed Soares’ thoughts with the Al Raed player believing that his side can knock out the 12-time champions.

“We’re happy that we qualified for the World Cup and that was the target for us coming here,” said Al Khaibari. “It reflects the work that we did and now it’s another step. 

“We’re focusing on Korea now. We know it’s going to be difficult but we’ll do our best. Hopefully we can take that step and reach the final.”

If they do, they will match the squad of 2018, who defeated Korea Republic in the final of the 2018 in Indonesia.

As for Korea Republic, the success of getting past Uzbekistan to book their berth at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025 has lifted a heavy burden off the shoulders of head coach Lee Chang-won and his players.

“I’m happy that our players achieved our first goal, which was the World Cup,” said Lee. “The players are in very good shape and good condition. We’re ready to play the semi-final match with less burden."

“It’s true that we went to penalties in the last game, so we have concentrated on recovery since. But we also had some weak points, we were 3-1 ahead but conceded twice at the end. However we won and we got a lot of positive energy which will help us in our recovery.

“We’re not under pressure now. We had a huge learning experience from the last match. Had we faced the home team in the semis, it would be another high pressure atmosphere but we’re facing Saudi and I’m confident we can show better performance.”

Captain Kim Tae-won is mindful of Saudi Arabia’s strengths but at the same time, is looking forward to locking horns with one of Asia’s best teams.

“Having reached the World Cup, I am now focused on achieving victory in the semi-final.

“I watched the game between Saudi Arabia and China (PR). I thought the Saudis were really good in remaining focused for the entire game and I’m looking forward to having a good game between us.”

Venue: Shenzhen Youth Football Training Base Centre Stadium (Shenzhen)

Kick-off: Wednesday, 16:15 (UTC+8)