Pohang Steelers made it a third game without a win as they let a two-goal lead slip away to a Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors side not long back from AFC Champions League duty. The Steelers had a number of opportunities in the first half but eventually broke the deadlock moments into the second with captain Shin Jin-ho seeing his edge-of-the-area effort deflect in beyond 'keeper Song Beum-keun. Minutes later and the visitors had doubled their lead with Jeong Jae-hee capping off a well-worked effort within the Jeonbuk box. However, Jeonbuk would rally and, thanks to goals from Gustavo and a Paik Seung-ho penalty, saw the spoils shared. Pohang remain in third, five points behind the Green Warriors in second, heading into this weekend.
Daegu FC also saw a return to K League action after their recent stint in the ACL, with caretaker manager Choi Won-kwon taking the reigns for his domestic fixture. The Sky Blues played host to Gimcheon Sangmu in a bottom-half encounter and, despite the game finishing goalless, spectators were encouraged by the display which put a halt to four straight losses and a winless run that stretches back nine with just four points acquired.
Team News
Steelers manager Kim Gi-dong will look to keep a similar side to the team that performed well in Jeonju last Monday as he looks to steer Pohang to a first win in four. Kim will be without Moses Ogbu who departed the club midweek though but, having not played him recently, Ogbu may not have been in Kim's plans for this weekend's clash regardless.
Daegu's Choi Won-kwon is also not expected to make many changes to the eleven that showed an improvement last weekend, although the caretaker manager will have to make do without central defender Jeong Tae-wook who is suspended for this match due to accumulating five yellow cards. Cesinha is also expected to return from recent fitness issues but may be restricted on the number of minutes he can feature.
Head-to-Head
Saturday marks the 53rd encounter between these two sides with Pohang Steelers having claimed 22 wins to Daegu's 13. Despite this, Pohang have to go all the way back to September 2020 to find their last victory against the Sky Blues, seven fixtures ago. On that occasion, Pohang ran out 3-2 winners with goals for Aleksandar Palocevic, Manuel Palacios and Song Min-kyu while for Daegu it was Cesinha twice on the scoresheet.
These two sides have met twice in the league this year, both ending in a draw, and once in the FA Cup where Daegu progressed. The fixture at the Steelyard back on Children's Day in May ended in dramatic fashion with Daegu youngster Hwang Jae-won scoring an injury-time equaliser, deflecting in a shot from goalkeeper Oh Seung-hoon who had come up for a last-minute corner.
What to Watch
Pohang Steelers' Shin Jin-ho
While his opener against Jeonbuk required a fortunate deflection, there is no denying the influence Pohang captain Shin Jin-ho had on nearly pulling off the win for his side in Jeonju on Monday evening, dictating the play and impressing with
the occasional bit of flair as well!
On top of that performance, Shin has been featuring highly in the K League across a number of passing stats. In addition to featuring in the top three assist makers in the league with six, Shin has also made the third highest number of passes, through passes and balls into the final third in the division, and has been paramount to his side's build-up throughout the campaign. With a return to the Champions League in sight, can Shin captain his side to a much-required three points this weekend?
Daegu FC's Zeca
Having come in late to the season to replace injured crowd favourite Edgar Silva, Zeca has taken to life in Sky Blue well regardless of the turbulent campaign the club finds itself in at present. While five K League goals not have been as many as he would have craved, seven goals in the AFC Champions League plus one in the FA Cup has helped to demonstrate his potential. Furthermore, with an xG of 7.87 in the league, there is the expectation that it will only be a matter of time before it clicks further into place, especially as this is the highest for any Daegu player even if he is only third in the club's goalscoring charts behind Cesinha and Go Jae-hyeon. With a new manager at the helm, and potentially new tactics to benefit from, could the Brazilian be set for a late surge in form to help drag Daegu away from the difficult season they have been having?
Where to Watch
Fans in countries with K League overseas broadcasting rights can follow the game live on television. More information can be found
here.
Alternatively, the match is also available for FREE on
tv.kleague.com.
Matthew Binns
K League United Editor-in-Chief
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