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Lee Kang-in (left) of Atletico Madrid and Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich will face off in the fourth match of the 2026–2027 UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 4 (Korean time). / Reuters-AFP-Yonhap

Lee Kang-in (25, Atletico Madrid) and Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich) are set for a "sword versus shield" showdown in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). Robert Moreno, interim head coach of the South Korean national football team, will watch their clash in person.

Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich will meet in their fourth match of the 2026–2027 UCL league phase at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 4 (Korean time).

Under the UCL league phase format, the top eight of 36 teams advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked ninth through 24th must go through the playoffs to reach the knockout stage. Atletico Madrid sit 16th with one win, one draw and one loss (four points), while Bayern Munich are 14th with one win and two draws (five points). Both teams are expected to give their all to move up the standings.

This will be the third time Lee and Kim have faced each other as opponents in the UCL league phase. Their first meeting came in November 2024, when Lee was playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. Kim played the full match and scored the winning goal to lead Bayern Munich to a 1-0 victory. Lee came on as a second-half substitute and played 25 minutes.

Their second meeting in November last year also ended in a Bayern Munich victory, this time 2-1. Lee entered as a first-half substitute, while Kim came on in the second half. Lee nevertheless registered an assist on his team's goal, adding an attacking contribution.

Both players are considered likely to feature in the upcoming match. Lee has appeared in all 11 Spanish La Liga matches this season, recording two goals and one assist, and played in the first two UCL league phase matches. Kim has played five matches in Germany's Bundesliga and four cup matches.

German football magazine Kicker included both players in its predicted starting lineups, forecasting that Lee would form a two-man attack with Julian Alvarez, while Kim would partner Dayot Upamecano in central defense.

Meanwhile, Moreno is reportedly planning to watch the "Korean derby" between Lee and Kim in person.

Ahead of two international friendlies in Doha, Qatar, this month — against Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 and Qatar on Nov. 17 — Moreno departed for Europe on Oct. 29, the day the national team squad was announced, to assess the fitness and form of South Korean players based in Europe. He is also reportedly planning to meet and speak with both players after the match.

Earlier this month, Kim became embroiled in a controversy over possible retirement from the national team alongside fellow 1996-born players Hwang In-beom (Porto) and Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke), following a friendly against Uzbekistan.

Lee also endured a difficult period after being mistakenly perceived as having contributed to a conflict between the three players and national team captain Son Heung-min (34, LAFC).

This is why Moreno's meeting with the players is attracting attention. When announcing the squad, Moreno emphasized, "The South Korean national team is made up of the best players in the world. I will not take anyone's side and will treat everyone fairly."

                                                                                                           Cho Seong-jun