Daejeon Hana Citizen vs Pohang Steelers

Daejeon World Cup Stadium is the venue as K League 1 basement boys Daejeon Hana Citizen take on playoff hopefuls Pohang Steelers.

Despite holding 3rd-placed Gangwon to a morale-boosting 1-1 draw last time out, Daejeon’s dire run of form continues, with the hosts entering this round winless in five (D2, L3) since a 2-1 home triumph against Gwangju in mid-June. Nailed to the bottom of the K League 1 table with the worst win ratio of only 17% (4/23), Hwang Sun-hong’s men must string together a substantial winning streak to haul back a ten-point deficit on 6th-placed Seoul and secure a playoff finish. On a rare positive note, Daejeon’s four league victories this season have all come on home turf. But that’s hardly a consolation for DHFC supporters as they head into proceedings winless across their last three home league matches (D2, L1).

Visiting Pohang Steelers reacted well to a 2-1 defeat at Jeju United last weekend, thrashing Seoul 5-1 in midweek Korean Cup action to set themselves up nicely for this trip. That loss to Jeju knocked the Steelers down from a six-game unbeaten league run (W3, D3) and slightly derailed their hopes of closing the gap on table-topping Gimcheon Sangmu. However, only two points separated Park Tae-ha’s side from the table’s summit at the start of this round. The visitors are seemingly in pole position to at least maintain the deficit as they take on a Daejeon side they’ve not lost to across their last 15 top-flight encounters (W11, D4).