“Coach Hwang Sun-hong called to ask for my help, so I told him I would die. It’s an important game, and I can’t miss it.”
The Pohang Steelers will host Incheon United in the 29th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at the Incheon Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on Feb. 2. Pohang is in second place with 13 wins, 11 draws and four losses (50 points), while Incheon is in seventh place with 10 wins, 10 draws and eight losses (40 points).
The visitors will be playing a 4-2-3-1 formation. Zeca, Park Hyung-woo, Go Young-joon, Kim Seung-dae, Kim Jun-ho, Oberdan, Wandelsson, Grant, Ha Chang-rae, Park Seung-wook, and Hwang In-jae will start. On the bench are Lee Ho-jae, Kim In-sung, Kim Jong-woo, Han Chan-hee, Park Gun-woo, Choi Hyun-woong, and Yoon Pyong-guk.
Park Hyung-woo will make his debut. Coincidentally, Kim Ki-dong has made many debuts against Incheon. In the past, Ko Young-joon, Noh Kyung-ho, and Kim Jun-ho have done so. “It was a chance and a situation. We are a team that needs young players to grow up, and they are doing a good job. I was thinking about putting (Park) Hyung-woo on as a substitute, but I thought it would be too much for him, so I wanted to put him on early and move him around.”
On Park Hyung-woo’s playing time: “I don’t know. We have to see how the game goes. If it doesn’t work out, I might substitute him early. If it doesn’t go well, we can change him early.”
Hong Yun-sang, who has been performing well, will be absent due to his call-up to the U-22 national team. “I was thinking about (Hong) Yun-sang, but coach Hwang Sun-hong called me to help him, so I said, ‘I’m dying. It’s an important tournament, and I can’t let him go. I actually chose Hyung-woo over Yoon Sang-sang in the big game, but then I came in and reconsidered. I switched on the spur of the moment, and Yun-sang scored the winning goal and hit the target, and Hyung-woo was still in good shape.”
Incheon’s rise has been remarkable. They have eight wins, two draws and one loss in their last 11 games. “We dropped our line another notch. At the beginning of the season, we were pressing and giving them space in the back, but when Mugosa comes under the center circle, there is no space. We are thinking a lot about it because Incheon has a fast counter and strength,” he said.
Incheon’s only obvious change is on the flanks. They will start with the combination of Kang Yoon-gu and Jung Dong-yoon. “I think they are stable in terms of experience. They have the ability and have shown good form. I don’t think they’re weak, and it’s important to see how much they come to our midfield. Otherwise, I think we will feel tight.” 먹튀검증
Pohang hasn’t lost at home to Incheon in six years. “We never lost there when I was there, and so did other coaches. I looked back. It seems that Sungnyu is a land of opportunity.” He smiled.