Pohang Steelers bring Shandong Taishan home. They want to catch Shandong and raise the ranking.
Pohang will play Shandong in the fourth round of the 2024-25 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) East Asian League Stage at 7 p.m. on the 6th at Pohang Steelyard.
Currently, Pohang is ranked 10th with 1 win and 2 losses (3 points), and Shandong is ranked 7th with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss (4 points).
After this match, the league stage will also turn a turning point. In this season’s newly reorganized ACLE, 12 East Asian teams and 12 West Asian teams will be divided into league stages. The top eight teams in each stage will head to the round of 16. The round of 16 will be divided into East and West Asia, and the meeting will take place from the quarterfinals.
Only four of the 12 teams get the bitter taste of elimination. Victory is needed to confirm the trip to the tournament. If Pohang beats Shandong on the day, it will enter eighth place, which can head to the tournament.
Pohang has been strong against Shandong in history. It has recorded three wins and one draw in its last four meetings. However, the two teams, Pohang, want to continue the record, as the most recent meeting changed a lot 10 years ago.
Ahead of the match, coach Park Tae-ha said, “As the match is held at home, I will do my best to get good results. Shandong has a good squad. Its performance is also formidable. I will display good performance just like the last Shanghai Hai match.” 토토사이트
There are many people familiar with the K-League in Shandong. First of all, he is Choi Kang-hee, who led the dynasty of Jeonbuk Hyundai from the head coach, and the strikers include Zeka from Pohang and Baco, who was the ace of Ulsan HD.
Coach Park Tae-ha said, “We have excellent players. Especially in offense, there are players we know well such as Zeka and Baco. We have to be vigilant in defense. We are thoroughly analyzing the opponent. I believe that will happen in this game because he showed good performance at home against Shanghai.”
Shandong’s main variable is the absence of coach Choi Kang-hee. Prior to the match against Vissel Kobe, Choi Kang-hee was sent off while protesting against the referee’s decision, and cannot play in the upcoming match.
Coach Park Tae-ha said, “I think it will have an impact. Regardless of whether the coach is present or not, however, we will focus on our game. As Shandong is a very good team, I thought we should focus on our defense. We will prepare by focusing on our game first.”