Daegu vs Pohang Steelers

DGB Daegu Bank Park forms the backdrop for a tasty-looking Korean Cup quarter-final clash between Daegu and Pohang Steelers.

An enthralling 3-3 draw in regulation time forced Daegu to go through a nail-biting penalty shoot-out against Daejeon Korail in the previous Korean Cup round. That success forms part of Daegu’s outrageous 14-match unbeaten streak across all competitions (W7, D7), spanning back to mid-April. Though 50% of those fixtures featured under 2.5 total goals, a low-scoring theme could be the order of the day here. Daegu’s last three competitive outings have contained two goals or fewer, with Alexandre Gama’s side netting precisely once on each occasion. By contrast, two of Daegu’s last three home meetings with Pohang Steelers have seen both sides score at least twice (W1, D1).

In the meantime, Pohang Steelers have found their Korean Cup journey a stroll so far. After an emphatic 5-0 triumph over lower-league outfit Gimhae in their inaugural cup fixture, they came from behind to overcome Seongnam 2-1 last time out. However, the ‘Steelers’ are winless in back-to-back competitive matches in the build-up to this showdown (D1, L1), both of which saw both sides score inside one half. Adding to the travelling side’s worries, barring the abovementioned victory over Gimhae, Kim Gi-dong’s men are winless in their last six away meetings with fellow top-flight rivals (D3, L3).