Preview : Daegu FC vs Pohang Steelers

Promoted side Daegu FC is set to host Pohang Steelers this Wednesday night, a side ranked 7th in the K League Classic table. Both teams need three points to bounce back from their disappointing result in recent matches; Daegu will be hoping to get out of relegation zone whilst Steelers will want to keep chasing the leading pack and get back into the top six.

Image via Daegu FC Facebook.com/daegufc2002

Overview

Graphics from Soccerway.com

Last Time Out

Daegu traveled to Gwangyang to face Jeonnam Dragons last Saturday in search of three points. Despite going 3-0 down, Daegu leveled the game 3-3 at the 65 minute mark, but Feczesin gave the Dragons a dramatic win to make it 4-3 and seal his hat-trick. In spite of disappointing defeat, the visiting team showed some bright moments for the next games. This was the only game Daegu scored more than three goals in a single game this year and so it seems there is sort of perception among the players that there is crisis which is making players more solid and well-gathered as a team.

Meanwhile, Pohang hosted Suwon Bluewings last Saturday and they recorded another bitter defeat. Steelers played pretty well, but a brilliant performance from Johnathan paid off and eventually preserved the visitors' unbeaten away record. With this defeat, the Steelers are caught in the bottom half of the table and so will be desperate to pick up a win to keep competing in the K League title race with other teams.

Previous Meetings

Graphics from Soccerway.com

Daegu clashed with Pohang Steelers last on April 15th and were beaten 2-1 in a game that was being watched by less than ten thousand supporters. In that match, Seo Bo-min’s performance was outstanding even though he didn’t score. He played sharply on the right and in middle of a pitch as if he had two hearts. The first goal from Lulinha was started from his long throw-in into the goal mouth. In the second half, Daegu made the game even with a great header from Evandro, but Yang Dong-hyun found the net on 83 minutes and in the end gave his team a dramatic win.

Team News

Daegu have extended their  winless records into eight games and are in a danger of being relegated. For Daegu, Daegu do need something to bounce back from the bottom of the table; such as recruit some decent players from outside. So far, one good thing is that Daegu recently signed Jeon Hyun-chul from Busan IPark in exchange for Lee Jae-gwon. In fact, Daegu have many players, but there are few options in attack. So, the signing of Jeon Hyun-chul would give Daegu more dynamism and more options. Meanwhile, Park Tae-hong will be out for the rest of the season as he tore his Achilles tendon. As a result, Daegu's back line will be inevitably affected. Han Hee-hoon could step in again as he did before.

The Adversary

Pohang have lost their last two games but they are still most likely to win the game against Daegu. With poor results from the lasts two games, Pohang will be playing very actively from the beginning with their top players. The most threatening player to Daegu will be Yang Dong-hyun, has been on fire this season with 13 goals. In addition, Kim Seung-dae, former Yanbian player, recently joined his hometown club again and made an appearance in the Steelers' last game. Kim Seung-dae will give Pohang a variety of options up top if Yang Dong-hyun needs a bit of help.

Prediction

Daegu 1 – 2 Pohang