Suwon Samsung Bluewings made the short trip to Tancheon Sports Complex to face Seongnam FC with the hope of bouncing back from defeat in the midweek round prior. After a closely contested first half that bore no goals, Seongnam broke the deadlock not long after the interval, first through a Jun Seong-su penalty then followed by striker Fejsal Mulić finding his first for the season. The Bluewings did pull it back though, with goals from Kim Sang-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu ensuring the spoils were shared and that Park Kun-ha's men could pick up their fourth point in four games.
After tasting success against Champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the midweek fixtures, Pohang built on that momentum by heading to Incheon and securing a 1-0 result through a first-half Lim Sang-hyub effort. The win makes it three in four for Pohang and has propelled the side into second-place heading into the weekend.
For Suwon manager Park Kun-ha, the main concerns with his squad are not only the ongoing injuries of midfielders Elvis Saric, Jeong Seung-won and Choi Sung-geun but the added potential absence over defender Min Sang-gi who picked an injury last weekend.
Meanwhile, Pohang manager Kim Gi-dong will likely still be without goalkeeper Kang Hyun-moo who continues with his recovery but has been featured on the bench. Forward Moses Ogbu is also reported to be injured and will still be unavailable to make his debut this weekend.
Head-to-Head
These two sides have encountered one another 85 times, with Pohang edging the head-to-head by 29 wins to 28, with the remaining 28 being draws. Despite this, last season's results favoured Suwon as they claimed two draws and a win against the Steelers. The last time Pohang tasted victory against the Bluewings was in August 2019, with Lee Soo-bin and Wanderson being the scorers in a 2-0 win.
Who to Watch
Lim Sang-hyub
This weekend sees Lim Sang-hyub line up against his former club once more after leaving them at the end of the 2020 season. Lim only found the net twice in the league during his three seasons with the Bluewings but new surroundings at Pohang last year saw his contribution increase considerably, scoring 11 in K League and even four in Pohang's journey to the AFC Champions League final. This year, the 33-year-old has already bagged two goals in three games and looks set to be be one of the Steelers' key threats once more. Can Lim use this weekend fixture against his former side to further demonstrate the potential he may well have had to offer?
Oh Hyeon-gyu
While Suwon may well end up ruing the loss of a striker to Pohang Steelers, Park Kun-ha continues to look to youth and entrusting up and coming talent. One of these is attacker Oh Hyeon-gyu. Usually fielded on the right of a front three, Oh has featured in all four of Suwon's games in some capacity, heading in the equaliser to deny Seongnam three points last weekend. In fact, Oh has the highest number of aerial duels in the division at present.
At just 20 years old, Oh Hyeon-gyu has a surprising amount of experience, having made his debut for Suwon in 2019 and then completing his military service at Gimcheon Sangmu, featuring in the side that finished fourth in K League 1 before appearing regularly in helping them earn promotion last season. Oh then returned for the final straight of Suwon's season last year. Given the success of 19-year-old Jung Sang-bin who made the move to EPL side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the winter, Oh knows he is in good hands under the tutelage of his current manager and will be hoping to build on last weekend's goal this Saturday.
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.
