Pohang Steelers have just a solitary win since the start of Final B in late October. There have been two narrow defeats, a goalless draw last week and a victory during this period. The only three points came in a thumping 4-0 win at home against Gangwon FC. In between, there was also the AFC Champions League final defeat at the hands of Al Hilal in Riyadh. Despite this, Pohang still finds itself in the top spot in the Final B standings heading into the final round of fixtures.
In contrast, FC Seoul has been impressive in their recent fixtures. Since a defeat to Incheon United in their first match of the split, they have gone on to pick up crucial victories over Gwangju FC and Seongnam FC. Similar to Pohang, Seoul had played out a goalless draw last week against Gangwon FC. That point confirmed the capital side's survival as they turned things around in the final months of the season.
Team News
Pohang Steelers
Following the AFC Champions League final and the journey back home, manager Kim Gi-dong decided to rest the majority of his regular starters. The only player who started against Incheon United and had also started the ACL final was centre-back Gwon Wan-gyu. Lee Gwang-joon and Lee Seung-mo were the only other first-team names that started last week. Alex Grant and goalkeeper Lee Jun are both suspended after picking up red cards against Gwangju FC in Round 36.
As a result, a whole host of youth team players made their first-ever K League start. It was a dream come true for Noh Kyung-ho, Cho Jae-hoon and Kim Jun-hoon as they got their first taste of top-flight football. In addition, the quartet of Kim Young-hwan, Sim Sang-min, Heo Yong-jun and Kim Ji-min all returned from military service last week. Kim Gi-dong will be eager to test his bench strength for one last time so that he gets an idea of where to strengthen in the close season.
FC Seoul
The FC Seoul squad have clicked just when it needed to. Manager An Ik-soo has finally been able to get crucial results and so the capital side will stay afloat in the top flight next season.
There was good news in the form of Ji Dong-won returning from injury against Gwangju and making a couple of cameo appearances off the bench, including against Gangwon last weekend. Despite a difficult season, three FC Seoul players have been nominated for the K League Awards. Na Sang-ho, Ki Sung-yeung and Osmar Ibáñez are named in the shortlist that was revealed on Tuesday. They will be aiming to impress for the final time this season when they make the trip to the Steel Yard. Left back Lee Tae-seok is suspended after picking up a fifth booking for the season in the 0-0 draw with Gangwon last time out. Kim Jin-ya could replace him.
Head-to-Head
Two of the oldest teams in the K League have met each other on numerous occasions. There has been a total of 154 matches between Pohang Steelers and FC Seoul. The fixture has been evenly contested with Pohang winning 58 matches to Seoul's 55. A total of 41 matches have ended in a draw.
This will be the fourth match between them this season. Pohang won the first match 2-1 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, courtesy of Lim Sang-hyub's 79th-minute winner. This was followed by Go Yo-han's lone goal handing Seoul all three points at the Steel Yard in July.
The third match was one of the most memorable matches this season. Na Sang-ho gave Seoul the lead, with Pohang soon being dealt a double whammy. Manuel Palacios was shown a straight red card in the 39th minute. Despite this, Mario Kvesić brought Pohang level with a fine finish. Gabriel Barbosa then restored Seoul's lead only for Kang Sang-woo to level the scores once again.
The match would have a dramatic conclusion to it. FC Seoul was awarded a penalty in the dying moments of the match. Aleksandar Paločević stepped up from 12 yards out but was denied by his former teammate Kang Hyeon-mu in what was the last kick of the match.
All eyes will be on Pohang Steelers club captain Oh Beom-seok as he is set to hang up his boots after this match. Known for his tenacity and tough tackling, the right-back rejoined Pohang ahead of the 2020 season. This was his second spell at the club, having started his career with the Steelers back in 2003.
Oh is a two-time runner-up in the K League in the 2014 and 2015 seasons with Suwon Samsung Bluewings. His talents saw him ply his trade in Russia, Japan and China. Oh Beom-seok was also a regular part of the South Korean national team and went on to earn 43 international caps for his nation. He was a part of the South Korea squad that finished third in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and reached the Round of 16 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The latter part of his career saw him operate mainly as a defensive midfielder. This season the 37-year-old was limited to only 18 appearances in all competitions. Overall, he has played a total of 134 matches for the Steelers, recording five goals and two assists.
It is difficult to say if Kim Gi-dong will start him against FC Seoul. However, the club has announced that there will be a grand retirement ceremony for the former national team player at the Steel Yard. More than 12,000 fans are expected to be in attendance to witness Oh Beom-seok for his last dance. The captain will bid goodbye to the game and will be hoping for a victory present from his teammates on Saturday.
