Suwon Bluewings vs Pohang Steelers

Pohang Steelers take a trip to the Suwon World Cup Stadium to encounter K League 1 basement boys Suwon Bluewings in a must-win fixture.

Nailed to the bottom of the K League 1 table, courtesy of a dreadful 9.52% win ratio (W2, D5, L14), Suwon Bluewings’ hopes of launching a late playoff push are as good as dead. A ‘goal-friendly’ 2-2 draw at Daejeon Hana Citizen at the weekend deepened Suwon’s misery, extending their embarrassing winless run to eight consecutive league matches (D3, L5). As the only K League 1 outfit yet to capture three points at home this season (D2, L8), the hosts’ bid to get back to winning ways looks rather far-fetched. Adding to this sentiment, alongside Gangwon, the ‘White and Reds’ lament the joint-worst scoring record on home turf, having netted a meager average of 0.7 goals per game.

Visiting Pohang Steelers will be keen to exploit their hosts’ form turmoil to bounce back from a frustrating 1-0 home loss to Ulsan Hyundai in last weekend’s top-table six-pointer. That result knocked Kim Gi-dong’s team from a handsomely-looking four-game unbeaten league streak (W3, D1), effectively ending their hopes of catching up with Ulsan. But considering their advantage on 7th-placed Gwangju has dwindled to seven points, there’s a more pressing issue requiring Pohang’s attention. Speaking of problems, before a hard-fought 1-0 triumph at Incheon United on their last K League 1 travel, Pohang had gone winless in six away league games on the trot (D4, L2), suggesting three points against the division’s worst performers aren’t a foregone conclusion.